STURTEVANT — The Village of Sturtevant no longer has a police department and is now using the Racine County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Sturtevant village board explores shutting down police department, residents demand transparency
In a Facebook post over the weekend, the police department announced it would close on Sunday and transition service to the sheriff's deputies. The post has received hundreds of comments and shares from community members, some of whom were surprised by the news.
Kaitlyn Schlaefer, a village resident, said she learned about the closure through Facebook.
"We weren't notified directly or anything like that," Schlaefer said. "To find out the day of that they were no longer was kind of shocking."
Watch: Residents respond as Sturtevant closes police department
For Schlaefer, the presence of a village-based police department offered peace of mind. She lives along a busy road and has children.
"There's lot of people who fly down this road going well over the speed limit," Schlaefer said about 90th Street. "And a lot of people don't stop for kids."
The village wants people to know deputies are already providing coverage, Racine County dispatch is active and 911 works.
In a community update posted Monday, the village said anyone with questions should call Village Hall at 262-886-7200.
The sheriff's office is operating in the village with a memorandum of understanding, a temporary agreement. Deputies are working overtime, and Sturtevant is covering these costs.
First, second, and third shifts are each being staffed with two deputies, according to RCSO Public Information Office Lt. Michael Luell.
Schlaefer was glad to see deputies already patrolling Monday, even pulling someone over along 90th Street.
"I'm glad to see that they are already out here monitoring," Schlaefer said.
However, she wishes residents were able to have more input in the process, beyond Village Board meetings.
"As people who live here, we should've had a vote in the matter," Schlaefer said. "I think a lot of people would've voted to keep the department here."
The village says they are working on a draft of a long-term contract with the county. If a contract is approved, the sheriff's office expects they need approval to hire 10 additional deputies.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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