Free House For Police Officer In DeKalb
DEKALB, Ill. (WBBM) -- It looks like a police officer in DeKalb is going to get a free house.
But there are a few strings attached – the officer will be on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's John Cody reports, DeKalb City Manager Mark Biernacki says the city would buy the house in a challenging neighborhood so it would be rent-free living for the officer.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780's John Cody reports
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"We would make it his or her beat, that neighborhood, on pretty much a 24/7 basis – patrolling the area, conducting neighborhood watch programs, dealing with any kind of drug or criminal activity that's in the neighborhood, and dealing with it on a direct basis, as opposed to, say, an occasional patrolling basis," Biernacki said.
Biernacki says if the DeKalb City Council buys the idea, the officer could move in this summer, and probably stay for two years maximum to avoid burnout from being on duty all day, everyday.
