A new officer was sworn into duty for the Waterloo Police Department during Monday night’s meeting of the Waterloo City Council.

Officer Dane R. Luke, a native of northern Illinois who previously worked for the Cahokia Police Department, began his employment with the WPD on Monday.

The hire comes as officer Josh Lawrence resigned from the force late last year and another officer, Steve Dinkelman, became a police pension board retiree after having been put on leave due to a back injury.

Waterloo Police Chief Jim Trantham said the department plans to hire another officer on Feb. 17.

This additional hire comes along with news that fellow officer Steve Martin will be out of action until probably May for a surgery.

In other action from Monday night, the council approved the purchase of a 2013 Chevrolet Impala police car in the amount of $20,659.94 from state bid holder Green Chevrolet out of Jacksonville.

The car will replace one extensively damaged during a Sept. 23 crash involving officer Scott Spencer, who received minor injuries when a truck struck the side of his patrol car on Market Street at Front Street.

Insurance will cover part of this new car purchase, with the remainder of funds coming out of the police vehicle fund.

Lastly, council members praised city workers for the successful efforts to clear snow after between 10 and 12 inches of snow fell Sunday .

“They were working hard out there, and you could see it,” Alderman Russ Thomas said.

City public works director Tim Birk said road crews started around 7 a.m. Sunday and worked pretty much non-stop until around 5 p.m. Monday.