Village To Pay For Garage Door Damaged During Police Pursuit

The Village of Caledonia will pay $350 for a resident's new garage door after a police officer broke it down during a pursuit, the Board of Trustees voted Tuesday.

Board members voted 4-3 to pay for a new service door on the garage at 4413 W. Johnson Ave., owned by Douglas Kroes, about three months after police kicked it down in order to nab a suspect. Trustees Tom Weatherston, Jim Dobbs and Lee Wishau voted against the measure.

"My insurance claims adjuster said they would be happier than hell to pay a claim like that even though I had a deductible, because once somebody is in a house they either cause a fire or massive damage," said Weatherston, noting the owners did not file a claim with their insurance company.

"They (the owners) should go after the juvenile's parents, take them to small claims court," Weatherston added, referring to the suspect. 

On April 30, police responded to a series of burglaries in Caledonia and Mount Pleasant, according to Caledonia Police Chief Toby Schey. A pursuit ensued, resulting in one of the suspects locking himself in the garage. 

The officer "received permission to forcibly enter the garage to get the suspect out. In doing so, he damaged the service door on the garage," Schey said.

The village paying for damage caused by police during a pursuit is somewhat unique. Typically, police would have a search warrant or have access to the structure. But, the owner did not have a key to the door and the garage door was broken. 

"He said they would pay for it," Kroes told the Village Board, referring to the conversation he had with the officer before he kicked the door in.

The cost for repair usually is paid for through an insurance claim or court-ordered restitution. Schey said a request for restitution has been made in court. 

"In my experience, I think we had one we paid for about five years ago," said Schey, referring to a forced entry made by the fire department during a 911 call.