CAIRO, Ill. (CN) - Three Alexander County patrol cars were repossessed by a bank this week, leaving Sheriff David Barkett's force with just one county-owned police cruiser.
It is the latest blow to the cash-strapped department, which recently laid off 11 employees, including 10 deputies, due to budget constraints.
The layoffs wiped out 75 percent of the Sheriff's Department's workforce. The repossessions were carried out Tuesday by the First National Bank in Cairo.
Sheriff Barkett met with federal and state officials in Springfield after the repossession, and brought back one SUV.
The sheriff told The Associated Press that he expects more cars to be donated.
Cairo is 150 miles southeast of St. Louis.
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