St. Ignatius Police Chief Jason Acheson was surprised and grateful when he stopped by Gambles Hardware to check on his rifle order and found out that the owner, Clay McCready, had ordered out-of-budget rifles for the department.  

“That’s a little bit more expensive than what I budgeted for. That’s quite a bit more than the money we were given," Acheson recalls nervously telling McCready.  

During the most recent St. Ignatius Town Council meeting on Tuesday, April 7, this was one of many announcements Acheson had about the department's upgrades. Last month, the police department received a $2,000 grant from the Mason Moore Foundation, along with a $1,000 anonymous donation.  

The department had two 25-year-old rifles with no optics, slings or lights, one of which was held together by a sheet metal screw.  

“It's no longer safe to have. It's not effective, so we can't have it on patrol,” Acheson said.  

Acheson placed the order with Gambles for two AR-15 rifles after receiving the funds. He said the AR-15s are the Chevy pickups of rifles, “okay but not great.” Acheson later found out that McCready, along with two other donors, chipped in to purchase the department three Springfield Armory Saint Victor rifles with optics, lights and slings.  

“These are not just for now, but for the future. They're very high end,” he said, with a good reputation, good lights and good optics for close and far distances. “Not that, hopefully, we ever have to have them, but if we do, we’ve got three of these. It's quite an upgrade than what we had before.”  

Acheson also announced that he had officially learned that the department received a $185,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for patrol vehicles.  

When Acheson applied for this grant, he hoped to purchase three patrol vehicles, but as costs have increased, he is unsure whether three vehicles are still feasible. It is also unclear if the department will be required to match a portion of the grant. However, Acheson selected no match on the application.  

He said it will take a while for the department to receive the funds, but he hopes to stretch it across the purchase of three vehicles.  

“We’ve got money waiting for us for new vehicles that will save the town a lot of money and expenses. It's critical for the expenses, for the safety of officers, for the safety of the community, for our response times, for the reliability,” he said. “It's definitely something that was needed, and I don't expect to get an opportunity like this again.”  

Acheson also applied for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant, which would allow him to revamp the department’s evidence locker. He announced during the council meeting that the department received the grant, and new shelves and security items will be arriving at the department for him to install in the near future.  

Other agenda items  

The council approved the renewal of terms for the Planning Board and Zoning Commission members. The same members sitting on the board applied again for the positions. Ricki Merchant was selected to represent the council on the board.  

The council also voted to sign a memorandum of understanding with Lake County to reestablish the county and city planning board. Mayor Daren Incashola was selected to represent the council on this board.  

The council has also been seeking a new workers' compensation insurer and, during this meeting, selected HUB International, an insurance broker, to help them find the best rate.  

The next council meeting will be on Tuesday, April 21, at 6 p.m. in City Hall.

   St. Ignatius Police Chief Jason Acheson notified the St. Ignatius Council of three grants the department received and will use for various upgrades. (Emily Messer/Leader)