At the local level, the Village of Erie Police Department began handling police calls for service in Albany on Monday, August 17th after both villages adopted an intergovernmental agreement aimed at “strengthening public safety, supporting neighboring communities, and ensuring that local police services remain sustainable.” Separated by 13 miles, the two communities have found an agreeable solution despite the relatively short distance between them.
For $150,000 annually, or $12,500 per month, the Village of Albany is providing the Erie Police Department with use of existing police equipment such as patrol vehicles, radios, and other essential law enforcement resources in exchange for Erie’s dedicated police officers in their small town of around 830 residents that’s situated on the Mississippi River.
Albany has had seven chiefs in the position since 2021: Wyatt Heyvaert, Andrew Shott, Rick Cass, Chad Hermes, Dave Lira, Tommy Leftwich, and Jason Franque. After the last resignation, the village board agreed to “think outside the box” while temporarily relying on the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office to respond to emergency calls and provide law enforcement assistance while they worked on a solution.
The most logical was to work with a neighboring Whiteside County community on a joint agreement, and they found that with Erie. Both village boards began discussing the proposal during their open meetings throughout the spring, giving residents multiple opportunities to attend, ask questions, and hear the details as they were worked out. Albany approved the intergovernmental agreement at their Aug. 3 meeting, and Erie at their Aug. 11 meeting. Albany’s police budget funds were allocated to support these police operations and additional staffing.
Erie Chief of Police Brian Hawk made clear that Erie residents will continue to receive dedicated police services, with the increased staffing and budget to provide greater flexibility, improved officer availability, enhanced backup, and more consistent coverage for everyone. Now in its second month, he said the agreement with Albany has been going quite well and they’ve received great reception from residents. Erie’s officers provide a minimum of 40 hours each week and have done a lot of traffic and ordinance enforcement, with residents already feeling the impact.
Timothy McDonald, Mayor of Albany, is also pleased with the policing solution. “So far, we couldn’t be happier with how the agreement has worked out. Erie has been very responsive, and our residents have noticed a difference. Overall, I think the agreement with Erie has been a really positive thing for the Village of Albany. The transition has gone really well, and we’ve been happy with the service and communication we’ve received from the Erie Police Department.”
McDonald said he’s also heard a lot of positive feedback from residents. “People like seeing the officers around town, and I think it gives residents some reassurance knowing that we have a police department that is there when we need them. The officers have also done a good job getting to know the community, and I think that goes a long way in a small town like Albany.”
Hawk said they intentionally didn’t set hours or have a specific officer stationed in Albany, which still keeps a department office in the lower level of Village Hall; rather, they all “float” in and out so they can maximize coverage and keep their presence unpredictable. This also allows both communities to interact with the whole police team. The agreement will be up for renewal after a year, at which point they can continue as is or propose any changes.
Hawk said this partnership has also allowed the Erie Police Department to increase staffing so they can transition from periods where officers have traditionally been on-call and responding from home to providing continuous 24 hours a day, 7 days a week police coverage for both communities. EPD was also able to hire Brady Chavez, who grew up Fenton and attended Erie Schools, as another full-time officer last month. Chavez and is fresh out of the Marine Corps, currently attending Police Academy, and will be on patrol starting late December.
Before the agreement, Erie had three full-time officers including Hawk, Officer Jordan Garrison, and Officer Peter Velez, along with a roster of part-time officers including Boyd VanDellen and TJ Spencer, though Garrison recently resigned to take a position with Whiteside County. Cameron Stout, who grew up in Cordova and attended Erie Schools, was hired in February and graduated from Police Academy in August. He’s continuing his field training and a one-year probationary period, but he has “done amazingly so far,” said Hawk, adding that he’s been operating on his own with ease. Hawk also hired one more officer who will be introduced and sworn in at the next board meeting. He continues to point out that the cooperative partnership was designed to provide benefits for both communities, including:
- Increased police coverage and availability
- Expanded staffing and improved operational stability
- Continued ordinance and code enforcement
- Professional criminal investigations
- Community-oriented policing and proactive problem-solving
- Better utilization of personnel, equipment, and taxpayer resources
Additionally, there’s no change in how Albany residents call for police assistance, with all emergency and non-emergency requests continuing through the Whiteside County 911 Communications Center with the same phone number. Dispatchers now call Erie officers instead of Whiteside County deputies.
With the initial transition complete and the daily duties of operating two departments becoming standard, the community leaders are seeing success with their collaborative solution to challenges affecting smaller police departments statewide, such as limited budgets, legislative mandates, staffing shortages, burnout, and public trust.
“Our rural communities face unique challenges that require local collaboration,” said Mayor of Erie, Carla Jaquet. “As small towns manage limited budgets and shared needs, neighboring municipalities are increasingly working together to address them. The Erie Albany agreement is a proactive step to strengthen public safety, support a neighboring community, and sustain local police services for years to come.”
Chief Hawk agreed, saying “all in all, we are well positioned to serve both communities. We have expanded staff to reduce fatigue on our current team, improved our coverage, and reduced response times.”
“In a small community, having officers who know the town and the people in it is important. We feel like we’re building that kind of relationship with Erie, and that has been really positive for Albany,” said Mayor McDonald. “I think one of the biggest positives has been the working relationships we’ve developed working with Erie. They have been very responsive when we have questions or concerns, and they have been willing to work with us on issues that are important to Albany.”
The full intergovernmental agreement between Erie and Albany is included below, and timely news and updates can be found at Village of Erie Police Department and Village of Albany, IL.
