Who’s Driving Cars in the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department?

Some readers suggested that a list of McHenry County Sheriff’s Department employees assigned cars might be interesting.

OK. You see it below. Tell me what’s significant?

I’m assuming that the names listed are employees, except for the one that says, “Traffic.” I have no idea why that was included in the reply to my Freedom of Information request.

I’ve tried to put the names in alphabetical order.

A McHenry County Sheriff's car speeding to answer a call on Route 14 in Crystal Lake.

A McHenry County Sheriff’s car speeding to answer a call on Route 14 in Crystal Lake.

ASPLUND
ASPLUND
BACHMAN
BENGTSON
BILLMAN
BODDEN
BROCK
BRUKETTA
LT CARLSON
CMDR CEDERGREN
CHAMBERLAN
SGT CISNER
CLESSERI
COSMAN
CRONER
SGT CAMPOS CRUZ
CYPHER
DANCZYK
SGT DECMAN
DILLON
SGT ELLIS
SGT EMBRY
FRINGER
GARAFOL
GARZA
SGT GROVES
HARPER
HART
HENNIGER
HILDRETH
HOFFMAN
HOVEN
HOVEN
HUTTON
JONES
JONITES
SGT KALENICK
KELTNER
KINTER
KNOP
KNUDSON
SGT KOZIOL
KRAMER
JAZAK
LANG
LARSON
LASKOWSKI
LESPARENCE
LT LUTZ
MALDONADO
MANDERNACK
MANESS
MARZANO
MARVEL
MASSELLA
MATTESON
MATUSEK
SGT MCDONALD
McKENZIE
MERRELL
CMDR MILLER
MITSVEN
MORROW
MULLEN
MYK
LT NIELSEN
NOVAK
NULLE
SHERIFF NYGREN
OLIGNEY
SGT PATENAUDE
PAWLIK
SGT PENNA
LT POPOVITS
QUICK
RAVESLOOT
RIGBY
ROGERS
SABOL
SANDERSON
SATKIEWICZ
SCHLENKART
SGT SCHMITT
CHIEF SEDLOCK
SENYSHYN
SHERMAN
SHREEVES
SINGER
SKRYPEK
SMITH
SOSNOWSKI
STADLER
SGT TADELMAN
THOMAS
Tomasheski
TRAFFIC
TUTT
UMBENHOWER
URGO
VOGEL
LT WAGNER
WATERS
BUSINESS MANAGER WOOD-ZUZEVICH
WOODS
WOODS
ZEMAN
UNDERSHERIFF ZINKE


Comments

Who’s Driving Cars in the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department? — 26 Comments

  1. How is it more cost effective to have take home cars for each deputy than it would be to have cars which they switch with each other after every shift like most of the local police departments do?

  2. I just need to work harder and provide more taxable income, to keep all of these Gov. and School District troughs full.

    I’ll get up at 4:00 A.M. instead of my current 5:00 A.M. to start my daily grind and I’ll quit at 8:00 P.M. instead of 7:00.

    I couldn’t live without driving the posted speed limit or making sure an Art Teacher retires with a $100 K Pension.

  3. Are you telling me that we have one hundred and nine sheriff cars on the road?

    Really!

  4. Could it be that there is a Deputy with the last name “Traffic”?

    My understanding of the reason that they take their marked cars home with them is at least two-fold;

    1) the cars last longer-they’re driven one shift a day, as opposed to three shifts a day, and maintained by one person, and

    2) the fact that squads sit in driveways at homes and subdivisions are a crime deterent.

    Both above statements are past research before started.

  5. AZsupporter/anonymous coward-

    Your argument would make sense if commercial vehicles used in 24/7 operations were parked 16 hours a day to make the last longer- except no one does that in the private sector, where saving money is rather important.

    Your argument would also make sense if this statement from the MCSD Patrol Division website were false:

    “.. The division is divided into three working shifts and consists of 65 deputies, nine sergeants, three lieutenants, one commander and an administrative assistant…”

    65+9+3+1+I sure as f*** hope an administrative assistant doesn’t get a car = a hell of a lot less than 109 vehicles MCSD employees are taking home as a “crime deterrent”.

  6. What about “BUSINESS MANAGER WOOD-ZUZEVICH.”

    The title “Business Manager” seems like someone who doesn’t really need a take-home.

  7. As John points out and remembering one county that suspended take home cars.

    They found over half the employees didn’t even live in the county, driving up costs in maintenance and free fuel.

    But I’m sure they have some strict county policy, monitored by some county audit unit, that oversees what appears to be a self reporting process. LOL.

  8. Does Angela Wood-Zuzevich still live outside McHenry County? Why does a desk jockey ($90/K salaried Business Manager) get a take-home car? Who approved it? Oh, that would be her boss…

  9. Does Angela Wood-Zuzevich still live outside McHenry County?

    Why does a desk jockey ($90/K salaried Business Manager) get a take-home car?

    Who approved that?

    Oh, that would be her boss…

    To get a take-home car, a deputy must live in McHenry County.

  10. Most Sheriff departments in Northern Il have take home squads.

    Larger area and they respond to and handle many calls to and from work.

    When a squad is on a call or tied up in a distant area on some accident, the deputy continues to handle the call and nobody is waiting for the car to be returned for the next shift.

    YES the cars last much longer due to accountabilty and better care.

    The MCSO cars go 150k miles and last four or more years.

    National fleet studies have proven time after time that take home cars are better maintained, safer and once the program is operational, cheaper.

    Many towns have take home cars also.

    Noteably is Indianapolis IN, Jacksonville FL. both of whom have proven time and again the cost savings.

    IN fact the agency started it was Indy and they call it the Indianapolis plan.

    I agree that there is no reason for the Civilian “BUSINESS MANAGER” to have a free ride.

    The whole idea of the take home program was for more visibility of cars in the communities, safety and efficency.

    A unmarked car used for a free ride does not serve this purpose.

    If you go to local mall and see a squad in the lot, the deterrent is that SOMEWHERE inside is a plain clothes cop with a gun.

    When there is a major event such as Haz Mat, crimes, storms, assists to other communities etc these cars are ready to roll.

    The MCSO can field fully equiped squads cars on short notice right from the deputy’s driveway.

    Kane CTy Cook CTy Lake CTy allow their deputies to take the cars to homes outside the county.

    There are many Lake and Cook CTy Deputies driving squads to residences in McHnery Co.

    I believe Zinke’s wife is a Kane Deputy and drives her squad home to McHenry Co.

    McHenry CO does not allow the deputies to drive squad to residences outside the county.

    Squad must be left at the Gov’t Center.

  11. Holy Cow Lovwass;get a grip.

    How and why this policy started was in the paper, and explained and approved by the THEN county board.

    Also, as has been pointed out by Gus, the sheriff and under sheriff do not drive squad cars.

    You should also note that some of the names listed are corrections, and detectives, who drive unmarked, street-looking cars for their undercover and other work.

    Not ALL MCSO squads are fully marked, and there are unmarked traffic patrol cars, I’d guess.

    The research provided when the policy started showed and proved that one man/woman, one car proved that the squads lasted longer, and the maintainence was corrected faster.

    This started back in the 90’s, probably before you became so pi__ed off.

  12. Seriously,

    These Deputies are on Duty 24 – 7.

    When the Deputies are in their cars they are working, let’s move on to more serious issues in this County instead hassling Deputies that are risking their live protecting us.

    A squad car on our streets and in our neighborhoods are a Good thing!

  13. Justin: I thank you for a valuable contribution of facts. You make good points and you provide evidence. Is it sufficient to prove the case here? I don’t think so, but you have definitely advanced the discussion.

    I think there are still questions to be answered. Thank goodness we have Cal Skinner to bring out these issues.

    If it turns out that some people are getting cars who shouldn’t, that is a scandal and needs to be fixed.

    As for letting deputies take the cars home, I think it’s great that there is a public debate on this issue. This is how public policy should be decided.

    If the preponderance of the evidence indicates it is better to let deputies take them home, so be it. If it turns out that the preponderance of the evidence indicates a three-shift use is more efficient, so be it.

  14. AZ/anonymous- I knew you would bring that up- a corrections officer has no need for a county vehicle. He or she has no place to be but the county jail.

    Do they bring bonbons to Greg Pyle at Boone County? They can do that with their own vehicle.

    I should point out that you were the one that said that deputies who have cars(who, theoretically, would be in the patrol division) have their own cars. N=65, not N=109.

    Must be nice to run an organization where the money falls from the sky, and accountability is non-existent.

    Mr. Guerra- Read my post. There are 65 patrol deputies, therefore there should be 65 vehicles assigned to them. 109-65= too many vehicles.

    If I am to believe the MCSD website, 25% of the MCSD have their own county vehicle. That’s too many, unless they run a delivery service.

  15. Cal- My brother suggested you FOIA the fuel contract for MCSD. COuld be entertaining.

    AZ/anonymous coward- I’ve been pissed off at MCSD since their boss was Crystal Lake’s youth officer.

    I know what kind of person he was.

  16. The take home program actually started in 1984 under then Sheriff Henry Nulle.

    There was an extensive study done at the time.

    Cook County and Lake County Sheriff’s both provided much of the needed information since both agencies had long standing take home squad programs.

    Sheriff Hank Nulle was a very hard sell as he was a very conservative guy.

    The long term overall savings were substantial and benefit to the citizens overwhelming.

    The program was phased over four years by issuing out the squads that normally would have been traded in.

    These squads were reconditioned and had over 200k before they were finally taken out of the fleet.

    Squads were issued to Detectives and then supervisors, then by seniority to deputies.

    By the way, detectives were issued USED rental cars purchased at auction.

    @John Lovaas you need to look outside the Patrol Division of which you keep citing that 65+9+3+1.

    You forget that ALL SWORN deputies are issued a assigned vehicle which includes Investigation, apprehension unit, evidence deputies who also do crime scenes and photography.

    These deputies are not included in the 65+9+3+1The number of sworn is somewhere north of 120.

    Plus don’t forget that the jail has numerous transport vehicles.

    Lastly there are many other county departments that have take home cars. State’s Attorney, Health Dept, P&D, ESDA. ETSB.

    I would imagine that with the heavy flooding last night, without the take home squads there would be many dangerous situations left unattended without the availability of the assigned squads.

    I am not defending anyone.

    I simply providing facts which I know to be true.

    I suggest people not hate the department or the beneficial programs.

    If you dislike the boss then go after the boss.

  17. @Retired/anonymous coward- the boss is, ultimately, in charge of determining how many vehicles are purchased.

    I am confident that if he is interested in doing so, Cal will FOIA the number of vehicles that the other departments have.

    You may have forgotten- MCSD works for us, not the other way around.

    They are servants of the public- not an autonomous gang.

    We are still free to criticize and question our government services without risk of retribution.

    In the private sector, when a business provides poor service- the business is responsible for the poor service.

    Only a lazy fool blames one person.

    When I criticize the MCSD- I am criticizing the management, not each and every person.

    There are good people there.

    And then there are people like Greg Pyle.

  18. Justin and Retired have it correct.

    Who NEEDS, or REQUIRES a car cannot be know fully unless you work there.

    Apparently Mr. Lovass thinks he works there, and he can choose who gets a car and who doesn’t.

    For his information, one person I know for sure on the list works in corrections, Chief Sedlock, which gives me the thought that there may be other correction’s officers on the list (since he brought it up).

    The “boss” is NOT who ultimately decides how many cars to get-the county board does.

    He may ASK for a certain amount as a budget line-item, but how much he gets for them is not his perview.

    This WHOLE conversation that we ALL are in just proves a point; a little bit of information, without the WHOLE story, sets us ALL up to appear to be too dumb to comment on something we KNOW nothing about, only guess at, and jump to the conclusions we want to fit our adgenda.

  19. Cal, can your next article encompass how many free miles (miles driven for personal reasons and not on company business) were reported by the McHenry Co Sherriff’s Department?

    I know in private business this is a benefit extended to the employee and uncle sam wants his tax, so employees report free miles and pay tax on those miles..

    As a tax payer maybe we demand a new study be performed?

    Get local auto dealers and manufacturers to bid for this business with lease options and buy back residual guarantees???

    Run this office like it’s your money!!!!!!

    Enough is Enough!!

  20. A friend of my from another local city PD tells me that some, if not many, city PDs add their needs for squads onto the state police purchase order to get better deals and prices since cars are then bought in larger lots.

    Wonde if MCSO does this too?!

  21. AZSupporter, I don’t recall ever writing that Nygren and Zinke do not drive squad cars.

    Nygren’s department vehicle is a ($75,000?)

    Tahoe with heated seats.

    And he drives it well outside McHenry County; for example, 300 miles to Minocqua, Wisc.

    I wonder who pays for his gas on those personal trips when he puts 1,300 miles on the vehicle (as measured between County fuel fill-ups 1½ years ago on his Christmas holiday trip up north).

  22. mark guerra, please explain about “off-duty” alcohol consumption by a deputy with a take-home car who is “on Duty 24 – 7”.

    How useful is that deputy and his take-home car if he (or she) is three sheets to the wind when there is an emergency call out?

    Has there ever been an emergency call-out?

  23. Gus,
    There have been many many times when deputies are called and asked if they can work.

    Obviously if a deputy if off duty and has been at any function where he/she has been drining adult beverages, then they simply say they can’t work.

    To answer your question yes deputies are routinely called.

    Snowstorms that hit swamping the shifts with accidents or situations such as a lost child requiring extra squads, the tornado that hit Lawrence a few years ago creating a haz mat leak.

    Any natural disaster.

    Sometimes they call a shift in early or hold a shift over late.

    In any case they need the squads available.

    As was pointed out by someone earlier, Sheriff Departments/ State Police typically have take home squads and regardless who is the sheriff , they would not give up this great benefit to the county.

    To do so by any sheriff would be foolish.

    Civilian employees?

    I don’t understand how they deserve a take home car, but maybe it was part of an employment contract like many schools districts do for Deans, Supt’s and Administrators.

  24. Gus, I never said you actually said that Nygren and Zinke don’t drive squad cars.

    Your previous posts have usually been about their SUVs, which Nygren was said by you to have been driving at the Jewel Foods lot; that’s where my statement came from.

  25. The take home squads is beneficial to residents of the county when a large scale event takes place and requires immediate response times.

    It has been cost effective when purchasing the number of squad cars the county has to replace and for the accountability of those who drive them.

    As far as Angela being assigned a take home car and an I pass to pay her tolls back and forth, absurd abuse of taxpayer money.

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