The Guthrie city council continued their goal of keeping the fleet rotation for police cruisers for the Guthrie Police Department on par. On Tuesday, the council approved three vehicles for the department.
The police department was awarded the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant in the amount of $207,094 for the fifth straight year. The grant enables the department to better serve the community by ensuring that they can take a more comprehensive and holistic approach to victims, crime and the criminal justice system.
The two current GPD advocates vehicles (2017 Chevy Tahoes), which were funded through the grant, will be assigned to Chief Don Sweger and Lt. Mark Bruning.
Sweger’s 1998 Crown Vic is no longer safe to drive and Bruning’s 2002 F150 was destroyed during a vehicle pursuit. A price of $28,529 – through the VOCA grant – will fully update the police package vehicles.
The advocates will each receive 2020 Chevy Tahoes through the VOCA program with a total outfit price of $99,290.
The council voted to purchase a 2020 Chevy Tahoe patrol vehicle with a price tag of $36,019 to go along with $37,730 to outfit the cruiser through John Vance Fleet Services.
With a reduction of expenditures due to a shortage of police officers, $30,000 was able to be moved into capital projects from the general fund under the police department. The additional $43,000 will later be shuffled within the department’s budget to payoff the vehicle.
The department received 10 police units in 2017 through the Capital Improvement Project sales tax to help update the aging fleet.
I’m sure we need three new police cruisers and I’m happy the budget allows for them. And I’m certain all three new cruisers and all the old ones too will be at the scene when a car falls through the Pine Street bridge that somehow was not important enough to even make it to the budget.
The Pine St. bridge is being overlooked by ODOT. ODOT will likely be funding this entire project.