Illinois Valley Times

A government oversight group is asking whether a chain of events links the axing of the LaSalle K-9 unit and solicitation accusations that hounded a city police officer.

The City of LaSalle announced recently that it would cut the unit due to budgetary needs, but the Edgar County Watchdogs argue that the money for the unit has been proven to be well spent, so other underlying reasons must be at play.

The city's action follows accusations that police Sgt. James Strand solicited a prostitute in 2016. The city's two K-9 police officers played a large part in bringing about the inquiry that followed. Strand was later cleared, although he was suspended from the force for two days.

While LaSalle is facing budgetary challenges, the primary costs of a K-9 unit are incurred when setting it up, through procuring the dogs, the vehicles and the corresponding equipment. In LaSalle, these costs have already been covered through funding that was provided by donations from the community, according to the LaSalle Police Department website.

The Edgar County Watchdogs said the savings from cutting the unit are minimum and don't justify the action.