Friendly
phone calls are in short supply at the police station.
So when a local business owner called the Cary
Police Department to offer a gift, Lt. Dave Burman nearly dropped the
receiver. It's a rare citizen who takes the time to utter nice words to
local law enforcement; rarer still is someone offering to make a
contribution
"I was totally shocked," Burman said.
"Usually when people call, it's because there's something wrong or
they're angry."
Thomas J. Smrt,
owner of Fox Valley Systems Inc., wasn't peeved, hadn't just gotten a
traffic ticket, and didn't need a favor.
Smrt's paint
manufacturing company has had a few occasions to summon police assistance
during its 25 years in business in Cary. So he was calling to return the
support, Burman said.
Burman and Police Chief Robert Levitt wasted no
time in taking him up on his offer. The department's brass had identified
two equipment needs during a meeting before Smrt's call and quickly
relayed those deficiencies to their benefactor.
Their requests were fulfilled Wednesday morning,
when a new booking camera and 25 "First Response" pocketknives
were delivered to the police station, courtesy of Fox Valley Systems.
The camera will replace the department's
antiquated model--"it has more down time than up time," Burman
said--and add another tool to each officer's equipment belt.
The knives are designed for emergency situations
in which police officers responding to motor vehicle accidents need to
quickly cut an injured motorist free from a seat belt, Levitt said. The
knives also contain a window punch, useful for getting quick access to an
accident victim.
The gifts are more than a donation, they're a
challenge to other business owners, according to Lou McMahon, the Fox
Valley Systems representative who made the presentation.
"(Smrt) would like other industries
to follow his lead. So many departments go without some of the things they
need," McMahon said. "It makes him happy to return favors for
all the work the department does."
The police department would have paid about
$2,000 for the equipment, according to Levitt.
Smrt's contacts
and purchasing power enabled him to buy the items for considerably less,
McMahon said, although he declined to place a dollar figure on the
donation. The $1,000 line item for a replacement camera in the police
department's budget will likely be allocated to other projects, Levitt
said.
In addition to issuing a challenge to other
business owners, McMahon said, Smrt wanted to offer this proposal
to all citizens: Make a friendly gesture toward the police department, and
wave at officers when they're out patrolling the community.
That, too, would be a welcome display of support,
Levitt said, as long as citizens remember to use all their fingers when
they wave
Edition: MCHENRY COUNTY
Section: MCHENRY COUNTY
Page: 4
Column: McHenry watch. Law enforcement.
Index Terms: SUBURB; BUSINESS; CHARITY; SUPPORT;
POLICE
Copyright 1996, Chicago Tribune
Record Number: CTR9605310138