Citizens of Chelsea can now rest a little easier with an extra Citizen Observer Patrol car cruising around town. The Chelsea COP program dedicated their third patrol car Aug. 4 at Chelsea City Hall.

The COP’s two other patrol cars are almost ten years old, said Dale Neuendorf, director of the program.

“After almost ten years, they’re getting a little beat up,” he said. “It was time to get a new one. We were able to update the striping and make it look a little more modern.”

All three cars will continue to patrol, he said. The third car will supplement the other two for normal patrols and will give the COP more capabilities to staff events and control traffic.

All the cars are equipped with lights, sirens, traffic equipment and a Shelby County Sherriff’s department radio.

The COP acts as a force multiplier for the Sheriff’s office, Neuendorf said. They simply observe the community and report anything suspicious to the Sheriff’s office.

The 34 COP members who donate their time to protecting the city are much appreciated by the Sheriff’s office, said Sheriff Chris Curry.

“The winner is the citizens,” he said. “No law enforcement agency can take care of every citizen by themselves. We need tips from the community to know where to start and the COP are professional tipsters.”

The new patrol car was paid for by the city of Chelsea. Mayor Earl Niven said he and the City Council support the COP program.

“We’re as strong an organization as we’ve ever been,” he said. “The members are dedicated to the city and to looking out for the people of Chelsea.”