McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage said his department does what it can to keep up with new laws. (Photo courtesy McLean County Sheriff's Office)
By Adam Studzinski
BLOOMINGTON – The new year means many new laws taking effect in Illinois.
McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage said it can be tough to keep up with all the new laws which police might have to deal with.
"Every year we'll get a packet of the new laws," said Sandage. "Of course we sort out the ones that we deal with specifically, but, yeah, things are every changing."
One of the new laws in 2015 says all police officers must have bullet proof vests. Sandage said his department won't have a problem complying with that.
"Our officers are issued vests and there's a five year warranty period on those vests," said Sandage. "So after five years our officers get new ones; we destroy the old ones."
Sandage added it might be a problem for smaller departments.
"They may have issues as far as being able to fund bulletproof vests, but there are several grants out there for those agencies for those agencies to get the money to buy the vests," he said.
In addition to laws, with each new year more technology is developed which police also have to keep up with. Sandage doesn't mind adjusting because the information available through the internet and cell phones helps investigations.
"Not just the criminal aspect of it, but if you have someone that's suicidal or missing, you can locate them through their cell phone," Sandage said.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
