Cops: Maday manhunt wasn't expensive
The massive, 26-hour manhunt for Robert Maday involved a dozen police departments, a couple of helicopters, a large SWAT team, and a few scent-tracking dogs.
It might have seemed like an expensive undertaking, but according to local police departments, the additional costs attributed to the search a week ago were less than $7,000.
Almost all of that money went toward overtime pay for police officers who had to come in early or stay late.
Most departments were able to respond with officers already on duty, although most had to shuffle some officers around to free up others. They also were able to share resources with regional agencies and neighboring departments.
"None of us are in this alone anymore," Arlington Heights Police Chief Gerald Mourning said. "We can count on our neighboring agencies to respond. It would have been impossible without them."
The timing helped keep costs down, also, police said. While the manhunt continued overnight on Sept. 17, most of Maday's activity took place during well-staffed times.
"It happened during the day, when there are a lot of people around," said Elk Grove Village Police Chief Stephen Schmidt. "And it kept moving to different suburbs."
No local police agency was able to attribute more than $2,100 to the manhunt, and several said they accrued no additional expenses.
On the federal level, the FBI said it had no extra costs for contributing six agents from the Rolling Meadows office and two from the Lisle office to Maday's apprehension, and the U.S. Marshals office adhered to a strict policy not to talk about deployed manpower, but did say they did not contribute search dogs or helicopters to the search.
Police agencies that did incur cost include Elk Grove Village, Maday's hometown, which spent $2,100 on overtime so officers could assist Arlington Heights and patrol some areas of town where they thought Maday might turn up.
Police in Bloomingdale, where Maday allegedly robbed a bank the morning after his escape from custody, spent about $2,000 in overtime, St. Michael Gicla said. And Arlington Heights, where the first hours of the search were centered, also chalked up $2,000 in overtime.
Hoffman Estates, where Maday allegedly hijacked a car from a woman in a parking lot, had no additional costs, said Lt. Rich Russo. DuPage County Sheriff's Police and Illinois State Police echoed that.
Cook County Sheriff's Police contributed about 36 officers during the height of the search, including members of the Hostage Barricade and Terrorism Unit, criminal intelligence, six K9 officers and a fugitive detail - not to mention a helicopter.
Director of Communications Steve Patterson said he didn't have costs associated with the manhunt, but many of the officers would have been on duty anyway.
"We don't have a cost associated with all that - because so much of it was part of their normal job," he said.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=322431">Images from Friday's search for and arrest of fugitive Robert Maday</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322287">Images from the manhunt Thursday for fugitive Robert Maday </a></li> </ul> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=407">Fugitive Robert Maday apprehended in West Chicago <span class="date">[09/18/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=406">Scene of Bloomingdale bank robbery <span class="date">[09/18/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=405">Police manhunt in Arlington Heights <span class="date">[09/17/09]</span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=323110">Attorney: Maday's 'not looking to hurt anybody' <span class="date">[09/22/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322767">Who is Robert Maday? <span class="date">[09/20/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322772">How Maday overpowered guards to escape <span class="date">[09/20/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322771">Roselle woman: 'I figured if I get in the car, I'm dead' <span class="date">[09/20/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322619">State's attorney's procedures for moving prisoners under fire <span class="date">[09/18/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322553">Maday made no secret of ID during bank robbery <span class="date">[09/18/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322534">Witnesses: Chase 'was like a movie' <span class="date">[09/18/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322501">The who, what and why of the school lockdown <span class="date">[09/18/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322514">Constable: Suburban cops go from loud music complaint to armed manhunt <span class="date">[09/18/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322149">Robber who escaped custody still on the loose <span class="date">[09/17/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322340">'06 Web postings appear to be from Maday <span class="date">[09/17/09]</span> </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322229">Apartment complex residents fearful for safety of relatives, friends <span class="date">[09/17/09]</span> </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322239">Dist. 214 cancels board meeting, classes at Forest View <span class="date">[09/17/09]</span> </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=322175">Traffic violations led to arrest of serial robber <span class="date">[09/17/09]</span> </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=263268">Man charged in Huntley bank robbery <span class="date">[01/09/09]</span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Audio</h2> <ul class="audio"> <li><a href="/audio/ahsearch.mp3">Arlington Heights community alert phone call </a></li> <li><a href="/audio/dist54lockdown.mp3">Hoffman Estates Dist. 54 on lockdown </a></li> <li><a href="/audio/dist54alertoff.mp3">Hoffman Estates Dist. 54 ends lockdown </a></li> </ul> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/alvarezstatement.pdf">Cook Co. state's attorney suspends Maday investigators</a></li> </ul> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.justin.tv/clip/e90a116b1242436c">Justin.tv police scanner audio of Robert Maday chase</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>