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Police chief clarifies staffing and coverage as department reports calls and generator issues
Summary
The police chief corrected a social media post, describing actual staffing levels, coverage goals and recent operational incidents including a generator failure at a large lift station and temporary use of portable equipment.
The Village of Saint Charles police chief addressed a social media post the department said contained inaccurate staffing information and outlined current staffing, coverage goals and recent operational incidents.
The chief told council the department has three full‑time officers (one shared as a school resource officer with the school paying half that salary) and three part‑time officers on the books, though only one part‑timer works regularly. "We do not have 5 full time officers. We have 3," the chief said during remarks to the council while asking that members consult the department before sharing staffing claims publicly.
The chief said the department is working toward 20‑hour daily dedicated patrol coverage and would like 24‑hour coverage in the longer term if the budget permits. The chief noted county deputies also serve the area but are not dedicated to village patrol and response times can be 20–25 minutes when county units are assigned elsewhere.
Public works staff reported recent operational challenges at the sewer lift station when the main stationary generator failed during a power outage. Public Works described using a portable trailer‑mounted generator and mobile operational workarounds until the main generator was repaired later the same night. Staff said alarms called them when high‑alarm conditions occurred and they shifted portable power between lift locations while troubleshooting.
Council and staff discussed whether to invest in an additional permanent generator at critical sites, and staff said they would continue to evaluate options. The meeting record shows no formal motion on generator procurement during the session.
The chief also summarized monthly activity counts, noting 49 calls for service and 63 total reports for the month, and urged council members to verify information before posting it to social media to avoid spreading misinformation about departmental staffing.
