Glen Carbon Board welcomes 2 New Police Officers
By Kathy Turner
GLEN CARBON — The Glen Carbon Village Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23 began with the swearing-in of two new police officers.
Officer Tawanna Knighten comes to Glen Carbon after serving on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Force. Knighten has been a boxer for 12 years and was undefeated in her bouts with the annual Guns and Hoses events. She is a graduate of the academy through Southwestern Illinois College.
Office Blake Takmajian is also a graduate of the SWIC program and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from SIUE. He resides in Troy and is the son of a Granite City police officer.
Both officers were sworn in by Mayor Bob Marcus and welcomed by Chief Todd Link and Village Trustees.
Mayor Marcus announced that the January 2024 Business of the Month is Crossfit Edwardsville. The business is located at 18 Kettle River Drive and has been in the Village since May of 2011.
Several approved services and purchases at the meeting will benefit the Glen Carbon Police Department. The board approved a service agreement with TWM for repair of the drainage system at the police department. The facility has dealt with drainage issues for several years, according to Chief Link, and the $31,820 project approved should alleviate those issues moving forward.
The Board also approved the purchase of another traffic trailer from All Traffic Solutions at a cost of $25,903.23. This will be the second trailer for the Village and will be used to monitor speed in neighborhoods as well as convey messaging to residents when needed. The new model will also allow for adaptation to use the Village’s license plate reader as part of the operations.
Finally, the Board approved the purchase of a DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drone for the Police Department. The current drone system requires some software updates to align with FAA standards effective March 2024. These updates will make it more cost-effective to purchase the new drone at a cost of $10,068.94. The retired system will be donated to the Village of Maryville Police Department for their use. Drones are primarily used for traffic crash reconstruction and infrastructure inspection.
The Board also approved the purchase of a new Axis camera system from Utilitra for Village facilities. At a cost of $84,575.99, the new system will provide security cameras for Village facilities, including the museum, that can be monitored through the police department central system.
The next meeting of the Glen Carbon Village Board will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Officer Tawanna Knighten, LEFT, was sworn in by Village President Bob Marcus at the regular meeting of the Glen Carbon Board on Tuesday, Jan. 23. She is pictured with Police Chief Todd Link who pinned her badge during the ceremony. (Photo by Kathy Turner)
Chief Todd Link, LEFT, is pictured with new Glen Carbon Police Officer Black Takmajian, CENTER, and his father, a member of the Granite City Police Department who pinned the badge of his son during a brief swearing-in ceremony during the Glen Carbon Board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23. (Photo by Kathy Turner)
