Sterling to send 2 police squad cars to Ukraine

STERLING, Ill. (KWQC) - Two out-of-service squad cars from Sterling will soon be put to use—not here, but in war-torn Ukraine.

The Sterling City Council has approved donating two retired police squad cars to Ukraine, where emergency response teams desperately need vehicles.

“We couldn’t use it. Nobody in the United States could use it. It couldn’t be donated to a volunteer company, either. So, to have somebody actually get use out of this, you know, politics aside, this is a good thing,” said Sterling City Clerk Teri Sathoff.

The two 2021 Ford Interceptor squad cars, once patrolling Sterling’s streets, will be donated to US Ambulances for Ukraine, an organization that has already delivered 90 vehicles—including ambulances and fire trucks—to aid Ukraine’s war relief efforts.

“We sent one ambulance had over 400,000 miles on it. It operated in Ukraine for about two and a half months before it was blown up in combat and destroyed. But in that two and a half months, it transported about 1200 injured and wounded people,” said Chris Manson, President and Founder of U.S. Ambulances for Ukraine.

Before shipping overseas, the squad cars will be stripped of police equipment and repurposed for emergency services once they arrive in Ukraine.

This isn’t Sterling’s first donation to the cause. In 2023, Sterling also donated an out-of-service fire truck to the organization.

“There were a lot of area agencies that had back boards, outdated, medical equipment that they couldn’t use any longer. We stocked the fire truck full of different things. People signed the dash. There was notes stuck in there. It was really kind of neat thing to do this,” said Sathoff.

Manson explained how every vehicle they send is a tool that saves lives.

“The Sterling fire engine just last night, they had a bunch of drone strikes, and that’s that Sterling fire engine was the first on scene.”

Manson said their mission to save lives and provide aid will continue.

“It feels good to help people. When I first got involved, it was because my daughter asked, ‘Hey, Dad, what can we do to help?’ Over the past three years and eight trips, I’ve made a lot of friends in Ukraine. I worry about them and want to make sure they have what they need. Knowing we can help, even in a small way, makes a difference.”

According to the organization, these two SUVs will be part of a shipment of about 10 to 14 vehicles. They’ll be picked up in April, shipped out by the 10th, and delivered to Ukraine in May.

The Muscatine Fire Department, Genesis Health, and the Illinois State Police have also made similar donations in the past.

Donations can be made through the group’s website.