Why is "loaner car" off the books?

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
November 4, 2011

Why does the McHenry County Sheriff's Department keep a "loaner car" off its books?

Recently readers asked me about a marked MCSD squad car being parked in front of the McHenry County Jewish Congregation in Ridgefield for days at a time. The sheriff's department responded that it had no documentation of such vehicle assignment.

A smart man in the education field says about IEPs, "If it's not written down, it never happened."

I've been told that a squad car was parked in front of the Jewish Congregation at various times over the past NINE years. And what about the squad car parked in Sheriff's Department Merit Commission member Brian Goode's driveway? You probably saw the photo of that on my blog. When was it? February sticks in my mind.

Is the "not written down/never happened" theory true at MCSD? If it's not written down, it never happened. No, it's not true. The problem is that it happened, many times, and it was apparently never written down.

Who at the sheriff's department has the authority to assign County assets to "protect and serve" a non-County business (organization)? And who has the power to do that AND keep it off the books?

Frankly, I doubt that a sergeant is going to assume that authority. I suspect most of the lieutenants will not assume that authority. Now, what about higher? A captain? Not likely. An undersheriff? Probably not. So, who else could order a County asset to be assigned to a non-County entity and "arrange" for there to be no paperwork; therefore, no "documentation"?

Wouldn't there be documentation of fuel put in the car? What about the assignment of a driver and then a driver from the garage to pick up the squad car driver? And then to pick up the car from the Jewish Congregation? or elsewhere?

What else at the sheriff's department is off the books?