Should each wreck of MCSD squad car be reported?

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
July 7, 2011

Should each wreck of a McHenry County Sheriff's Department vehicle be reported to the public?

I suspect the public would say, "Yes." Many might say, "YES!"

When wrecks aren't reported, the public will reasonably assume that there aren't any such wrecks happening. But, when they do happen, they should be routinely and promptly reported to and by the media and full information placed on the Sheriff's website in the press release section on http://www.mchenrysheriff.org/

Are wrecks happening at a substantially higher frequently than in the general public's driving experience? Are they happening under emergency-driving conditions? Are deputies at-fault in these crashes, or are other drivers running into them? How much damage is involved? With what frequency does MCSD investigate its own crashes, instead of summoning an outside, independent law enforcement agency, such as the Illinois State Police. What's the history of tickets being issued to deputies?

Are certain deputies experiencing numerous crashes? Are deputies who are involved in numerous wrecks be disciplined or promoted or re-trained? Is the blood-alcohol content of every deputy involved in a crash tested for drugs or alcohol?

In fact, is there routine or random testing of all deputies' blood for illegal substances?

Who was the deputy involved in last week-end's crash? Why didn't the Sheriff's Department release information?