Sutherland Council Approves Law Enforcement Resolutions


by Mari Radtke
The regular meeting of the Sutherland City Council recognized Mark Shriver for his years of service to the Sutherland Fire Department. Shriver will step down in January 2025. He has served as the Sutherland Fire Chief for 8 years. Elections will be held on January 21 to elect new Fire and Ambulance officers for the service. Among Shriver’s final duties as Fire Department Chair, he reported to council several donations to the department including $1000 from Prairie Feed Trucking (OFT). The facility located just northeast of Sutherland suffered major fire damage during the fall of 2024.
Members of the Sutherland Police Department all attended the city council meeting. The department consists of 5 officers plus a chief. Each member works part time in Sutherland and holds a regular full time job. At the January 6 meeting, the Council approved a resolution entering into a 28E with Calumet for law enforcement services. The 28E requires the Sutherland Police Department to patrol for 1 hour per day, 7 days per week within the incorporated limits of Calumet. Calumet will contribute $10,000 for the year for the service. The fee will be paid in 2 installments. The patrol hours will remain varied and unannounced.
The six-man police department, introduced to council at Mondays meeting made room for their 7th officer to be introduced, Oliver. The second law enforcement resolution passed on Monday was to amend the police handbook and policies to allow the city to have a K9 officer. Oliver was introduced to the Council. Officer Cain Junkman is the handler.
Oliver, a 4-year old German Shepherd, is fully trained as a drug dog to sniff out and locate specific drugs. Plans for Oliver to get certified as a search animal are in place. Oliver will be further trained to be able to track and locate people. Oliver is not a biting dog. Officer Junkman and Officer Will Rodger outfitted the Sutherland Police car to accommodate Oliver.
Public hearings for a new Zoning Ordinance proposal and a Budget Amendment was approved for Monday February 3 at 7:00pm. A budget workshop was scheduled for Wednesday January 22 at 6:00pm at City Hall.
A malfunctioning switch caused more than an estimated 150,000 gallons of water to spill from the water tower in early December. The water was pumped into the tower for more than 24 hours causing an overflow. The culprit switch was replaced and all automation was tested and passed.