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2nd Batavia Police Officer Suspended


2nd Batavia Police Officer Suspended for Separate Crash

Another Batavia police officer has received a suspension following a crash last month involving some police vehicles.

Officer Thomas Doggett has received an unpaid two-day suspension, said Dan Eul, Batavia deputy police chief. The suspension will occur at the end of the month.

According to a crash report, Doggett was behind the wheel of the at-fault vehicle in an April 12 crash on Batavia's west side. Doggett's police SUV made contact twice with a Batavia squad car at the intersection of Lincoln and Houston streets.

The vehicles were en route to an emergency call. Doggett slowed down but did not stop at a stop sign at the intersection, according to a crash report.

Doggett has been with the Batavia Police Department since 1997. This is not Doggett's first time in a traffic crash. He was behind the wheel of an at-fault vehicle in the year 2000, according to Eul.

Doggett did not appeal his suspension to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners. No citations were issued as a result of the April 12 crash, Eul said.

Crashes involving police officers are not common. Eul said the last crash involving the Batavia department was about two years ago.

Civilian drivers are to yield the right-of-way and immediately drive as close as possible to the right-hand edge of curb of the roadway for a police vehicle making use of an audible or visual signal, according to Sec. 11-907 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, part of the state's Rules of the Road.

"(Sec. 11-907) shall not operate to relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway," according to the code.

The Other Officer Suspension

The April 12 crash was the second in less than a month for Batavia Police. Officer Scott Mercil was behind the wheel of the at-fault vehicle in a March 30 crash on Batavia's west side, according to a crash report.

Mercil was preparing to pull another vehicle over and followed behind the vehicle as it turned left from southbound Randall Road onto eastbound McKee Street. Mercil was then struck by a northbound pickup truck after he drove into the intersection, according to the report.

Mercil received a 12-hour suspension following the crash. He has already served the suspension, Eul said.

No serious injuries were reported in either crash.

The Crash Vehicles

The Police Department's insurance carrier declared all three police vehicles involved in the crashes to be total losses. One was based upon the age of the vehicle; the other two were based upon the damages.

The oldest vehicle involved was a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV in the April 12 crash, according to a crash report. The other vehicles were Ford Crown Victorias, one from 2009 in the March 30 crash and the other from 2011 in the April 12 crash.

The police SUV will be replaced with a city vehicle of the same year, make and model (1999 Chevy Tahoe). The city vehicle was recently removed from fleet service at the Batavia Fire Department, Eul said.

The department hopes to replace the other two vehicles with additional purchases through a budget supplemental, but that has not been confirmed.

The reports for the two crashes listed damage to any one vehicle of more than $1,500.