Politics & Government
Yorkville Adds Another Patrol Officer
Yorkville's police department has 24 officers; leaders plan to add two more this calendar year.
Yorkville Mayor Gary Golinski swore in a new police officer Tuesday and could swear in two more before the end of the year to bring the force up to 26.
Patrol Officer Zackery T. Rundlett, an Army veteran, had been working as a police officer in Iowa before moving to the Yorkville area, Yorkville Police Chief Rich Hart said. Hart expects another new officer (a former Missouri state trooper) to start Nov. 3 and plans to hire a third new officer in late December.
Police leaders originally had planned to hire just one new officer in the fiscal year that started May 1, but after Golinski took office this spring, his administration reviewed the budget and authorized two more hires, Hart said.
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None of those hiring decisions are affected by the criminal charges pending against former Deputy Police Chief David Delaney, who is on . Delaney, who has not reported for duty , remains on the official roster and is included in the count of 24 officers.
Ultimately, Hart would like the force to have 30 to 36 officers. With 30 officers in the department, Hart said he would bolster neighborhood watch programs, upgrade the school resource officer at Yorkville Middle School from part-time to full-time, reinstate the prescription drug disposal program and assign officers to focus just on traffic enforcement.
