Police: No Snow-Related Injuries in 47 Incidents

Lake Zurich police borrowed a snowmobile from the Fire Rescue Department to check for abandoned cars and patrol difficult to reach areas during this week's blizzard.

Although 47 incidents of disabled autos or cars in ditches were handled by police from 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 1 through 11 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2, no injuries resulted, said Commander Kevin Finlon of the Lake Zurich Police Department.

“An officer patrolled on the snowmobile for approximately four hours to check main roads and locate vehicles abandoned and to document their locations and registration information if possible,” explained Finlon. “The snowmobile patrol was found to be very effective to access areas which would have been inaccessible to other available patrol units.”

Finlon said it was the first time since he joined the department that snowmobiles have been used. He could find no previous records of snowmobiles having been used by the police department.

In addition to handling all the calls, police officers also spent a good amount of time shoveling and snow blowing the entrance areas of the police department and keeping police vehicles clear of snow.

“Overall this was just a normal day at work for us with a greater number of calls for service related to motorist requiring assistance and keeping access points open,” said Finlon.

The Village sent out information to residents advising of the Village’s response to the weather event, advising of snow removal efforts and that Village Hall was closed yesterday. The Fire Rescue Department had access to three snowmobiles for emergency response if needed and one of the snowmobiles was used by the Police Department, according to Finlon.