The police chief in the Metro East community of Fairview Heights hopes a task force he plans to form will help make his police officers safer.
Chief Ed Delmore is creating a safety task force in response to recent attacks on his officers.
One officer escaped serious injury when he was dragged by a suspect’s vehicle during a traffic stop, and a suspect shot at another officer before the suspect killed himself.
The group will review equipment and training needs relating to the staff’s safety, as well as examine whether the department needs more officers.
The department has 40 officers, the same number it’s had for more than a decade.
Delmore says the recent violence toward officers is uncommon for Fairview Heights