Cedar Lake accepts resignation of Police Commander Thomas Kidd; adopts revised vehicle-usage policy amid budget and recruiting concerns

Commander Thomas Kidd, a 26-year department veteran, told the Cedar Lake board he has accepted a new position in Newton County and thanked officers and the council as the board moved to formally accept his resignation.

Chief Smith introduced Kidd’s record, saying Kidd was hired on 08/21/2005, served as an evidence technician and field training officer and rose to commander. The chief praised Kidd’s leadership and said the department will miss his institutional knowledge. Commander Thomas Kidd responded, “I was torn, but it was time. 26 years, I put in this town,” and thanked colleagues for their support.

The council voted to accept Kidd’s letter of resignation and separately approved a retirement-related compensation benefit for him. The motions were moved and seconded and carried on roll call; recorded responses in the transcript show affirmative votes from multiple members for both items.

Members then turned to staffing, recruiting and budget concerns that intersected with a separate policy decision. Several council members and residents raised concerns about fuel consumption for officers who live outside the town and about the town’s broader budget outlook. One speaker said, “I’m concerned about the consumption of gas,” and another relayed that the state is cutting funds, saying “Jennifer told me the state's cutting $1,100,000 from us.”

Supporters of the policy said small fringe benefits can help attract and retain officers. A council member argued the policy helps recruitment: “We seriously need to be able to attract people,” and another noted that the policy can be amended later if needed. Chief Smith acknowledged there are exceptions in the policy and said those exceptions were put in to handle special circumstances: “I would say there's always an exception.”

After discussion, the council amended the agenda to consider Police Department Policy 803 (department vehicle usage) and then voted to adopt the updated policy. The transcript records at least one recorded dissent (Mister Caper voted “No”); other recorded responses included Miss Lewis, Mister Villalobos, Mister Nagy and Mister Stitt voting “Yes.” The policy change grants limited authority for certain off-duty use and includes stated exceptions; the council said refinements can be made later.

The meeting materials and spoken remarks framed the vote as both a personnel and budgetary decision: board members cited recruitment advantages from offering benefits to officers while others emphasized the need to be mindful of fuel and taxpayer cost. The board did not adopt any additional, immediate budgetary appropriations during the meeting. The board adjourned the regular session at 06:33 and announced an executive session to follow.