Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette— Village Trustees Brian Abramson (left), Josh Rowe, Andrew Ranville, and Village Manager Caleb Katz, at Tuesday’s regular meeting, the current status of the village police department, and also the patrol car, which has received interest from area agencies.

CALUMET — The question on the status of the village’s police force was brought up during Tuesday’s regular meeting, when former trustee Sandy Johnson voiced her concerns over the village’s inaction on the police force issue, and rumors that the village intends to sell the patrol car to the Hancock Police Department. She also questioned the village’s plans for the computer equipment in the police office.

“There is a lot of information in that computer that should not leave the village,” she said, because of sensitive information stored on it, particularly in regards to investigations.

“I’ve heard numbers of what you’re selling the car for,” she went on, “and there are not that many miles on the car, to let this car go for $10,000, plus the computer that is in the car, which is worth more money, and then I have concerns about all the things that are going on around town. Break-ins, businesses are being broken into, all their equipment stolen, supposedly…was arrested for it, but it takes a while for that company to get all that equipment back and up and running. And who knows what information they got off their computers.”

Johnson said she is aware of budget issues, but said the village needs a police department considering what goes on in town. She added that the village has not been without a police department long enough to enable the village to decide whether to permanently dissolve it.

“I live here. I’ve lived here on the main street over 45 years,” she said. “I see what walks around at night, what’s going on; we need a police department.”

Trustee Doug Harrer said that the Hancock City Police Department has expressed an interest in purchasing the patrol car, but there has been no movement to dispose of the vehicle, only discussions pertaining to the vehicle’s value.

Trustee Andrew Ranville, who is also on the Public Safety Committee, said that in light of agencies’ interests in purchasing the vehicle, the committee discussed it, and determined not to recommend to the council offering the vehicle for sale at less than $11,500, but has made no recommendation without knowing if an officer will be placed on the payroll.

After the meeting, Harrer said the police department has been discussed in Public Safety Committee meetings, but economic considerations have hindered a recommendation one way or another.

“So, the Public Safety (Committee) has been talking about it, but we haven’t had any recommendations to the council yet if we want to move forward,” he said. “We’re waiting to see how the budget is doing.”