Council OKs 9 new PTC cop cars at $49K each
Sunday, January 29, 2012 - 3:26pm
Submitted by John Munford
Submitted by John Munford
Outfitting a police car doesn’t come cheap.
Peachtree City will spend $205,000 to outfit its nine new patrol cars with the necessary accoutrements ranging from the emergency lights to customized consoles and laptop mounts.
Of that amount, the city has awarded the low bid for aftermarket accessories to Trans Comm Services for $13,932 per vehicle and a grand total of $125,388. Trans Comm’s bid was the lowest bid by about $2,500, with the next-highest bid being more than $12,000 higher.
That figure does not include the purchase of the digital video cameras, Motorola radios or graphics for each car, which will be purchased separately at a cost of $80,125 and shipped to Trans Comm for installation.
Including all the equipment, the city will pay about $445,000 for the nine new vehicles, a cost of under $49,400 each.
The fleet purchase for Peachtree City represents the end of a law enforcement era being experienced across the nation with the discontinuance of Ford’s Crown Victoria model.
As such, the police department began researching its options and determined that the Chevy Caprice police vehicles would best meet its needs for the coming future.
To shave a bit off the price of the new patrol cars, the city is trading in some 17 Crown Victoria models, most of which have hit the 100,000 mile mark that is generally seen as the end of a patrol car’s useful life for pursuit work. While there were questions about extending that threshold a bit to save the city money, Police Chief H.C. “Skip” Clark noted that patrol vehicles idle for much longer periods of time than a civilian car, which causes a lot more wear and tear on the patrol cars.
The vehicle purchases give the police department a total of 89 vehicles with approximately 50 being used in the patrol fleet for emergency response, officials have said.
Others are used as reserve units for when a car is being repaired, and also for the auxiliary and reserve officers in addition to code enforcement.
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 12:32am
#2
Want to save some money? Keep the cars in PTC
Why are city police cars allowed to leave the city and even county at the end of a shift? I routinely pass PTC police cars as far as 30 miles out of town and see them parked at houses the same distance away. Seems like this is a huge expense on the tax payers from a gasoline and wear standpoint on the cars. It's hard to argue the need for new vehicles when the ones you have are being subjected to unnecessary use. Why in the world would they not stay at the station when not in use?
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 1:30pm
#3
Brer Rabbit
Beat a dead horse, where have you been the last few years, this issue has been beaten to death in these blogs in the past.
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 9:08am
#4
don't sweat the small stuff.
10 or so cops commuting thirty miles is not why we have budget issues. We have budget issues because we do things like spend 700k on a bubble to cover a pool that doesn't draw any significant revenue. A year or two ago we spent 17k to study the crosstown and pkwy intersection to determine if we needed to think about making some improvements there. The list goes on. Police officers driving their cars home is a standard perk offered by many, maybe even most police departments. By nit-picking at something like this you really just make quality people not want to work for PTC.
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 11:07am
#5
Quality people working for the PCTPD
Yesterday I witnessed the PCTPD pull over an older gentleman (60 or so), I was setting a stop light and watched. It was obvious that this was for speeding in a school zone and he should have been ticketed. But what I witnessed was ridiculous. The officer pulled him over in a patrol car and within 1-2 minutes
our motorcycle cop came whizzing up, pulled a u turn, parked his bike, jumped off and approached the car one the right hand side with his hand on his gun and stood there while the other cop gave this guy a ticket. Like I said if the guy was speeding in a school zone he deserved a ticket, but to have a second cop come up and stand on the passenger side of the car with his hand on his gun was way over the top.
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 11:33am
#6
Dondol
I have been new year's resolutioning it up at the gym lately at they gym lately and I have met some guys in their 60's who will run circles around your average something year old any day of the week. So, being in you 60's doesn't make you any less of a threat. More then likely those officer's were just following policy.
The point of my comment was that I think we should expect the government; city and otherwise, to tighten its belt in other places before we start attacking public employees for getting a few fringe benefits.
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 9:28am
#7
Kedron Bubble Haters Club
I think in the first round of blogging about the bubble several months back it came out that the Kedron pool was about cost-neutral for the city even with the new dome. Anyone else remember that?
Anyway, I wish someone from the PTC Council would comment on Dar's continued harping about his million dollar gift being rejected.
Giants over the Pats 27-24!
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 10:07am
#8
Ninja's bubble
I remember Ninja, and if it is cost-neutral then we should just set up a Kedron Field House Authority, let it stand on its own financial feet. After all all those people who use it could pay to improve it and get exactly what they want. Let them hold the notes for the big bubble too.
Pats win by 13.....
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 10:58am
#9
Kedron pool & other minor items
Now that the bubble is up, the black wrought iron fence now needs to be replaced across the whole front side of the pool area. Cost, who knows? Minor detail. Not to worry.
One minor detail still to be worked out. Seems that in approx. 8 weeks when the bubble comes down, there is no place to store it. Cost, who knows? Time frame, who knows. Minor detail. Not to worry.
17k study on Crosstown & Peachtree Pkwy? That worked out well, didn't it? And just to reward the company that provided that study that should be in the top 3 of the most flawed ever presented to the city, they have just been given no-bid rights to unnamed and undetermined numbers of projects going forward. Not to worry.
Myra will make sure Pats win. Not to worry.
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 10:31am
#10
PTCO, Keep Working On That
time machine! You will get back to 1789 eventually! If the time machine fails, there is always the mother ship rendezvous at K-Mart parking lot! When will you get it through your thick skull that government is a product of the market! If people really wanted the kind of government you dream of, we would have it! Good to see you narrowing the spread on the Super Bowl from 37 to 13! I guess you put a call in to your Las Vegas bookie last night! Are you going to title pawn the Malibu and go all in on your bet on the Pats?
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 11:00am
#11
Ninja - So
I guess you disagree with an authority concept? I don't know why you would be Ninja, after all the whole endeavor is cost-neutral. Don't you want to see those people that use the field house to get exactly what they want? When ever they want it?
You're the one dressed for the K-Mart rendezvous Ninja, my guess is that you hangout there a lot.
Did I say 37 to 13? I met to say Pats win by 7 or maybe 17, can't remember.
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 10:44am
#12
Council OKs 9 new PTC cop cars at $49K each
Wonder if any bids were submitted for the Dodge Charger Police Package instead of the Chevy package? From what I've been told, the Dodge base package is cheaper, which would make the overall cost cheaper after outfitting the cars with the add-on equipment.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 9:36pm
#13
Policetree City
They made a downpayment this morning. @ 8:24 at Booth. If the weather is bad the crossing guards have taken to their cars by this time and why not? Skool is in. I see 'em in the median and chug on down to 20. The guy behind couldn't be going that fast because he wasn't really closing on me in my rear view mirror. Well, another threat taken down. Cha-CHING
The Tyrone police sit in the turn lanes w/ their lights off in their BLACK cars. Also that light there @ Publix will just turn red w/ no cross traffic at 1:30 am.
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 6:55pm
#14
Donation
Thank you for your financial support of our fair city.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 8:26pm
#15
I especially like the new policing technique
of sitting in the turn lanes in the way while looking for speeders, etc. Is this really the best way to police the City?
I'm usually on the Cops side, and I fully realize this is more than likely a mandate from superiors...just curious as to the thought process involved. I've seen them in turn lanes after dark with all lights off. Seems dangerous to me. I've seen this on hwy 54 and 74.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 8:35pm
#16
Tsk Tsk Spyglass
Ummm hello how are we going to pay for those new cars if they don't give out tickets?? How will they make the daily quota if they don't hunt down the revenue? Simple patrols don't pay the bills. This is just a simple fact of life in a small town.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 9:08pm
#17
Gentlemen
They do this for the same reason they set up speed traps within school zones primarily during the last thirty minutes of the time for reduced speed. You know, the time when all the students have departed and safety is not the issue.
Ever wonder why the motto: "Protect and Serve" was removed from our police cars? Their priority is revenue generation.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 11:01pm
#18
I can handle the school zone enforcement just fine..
It's setting up in lanes of the road and sitting that I do not think is safe.
I pass through the Booth zone all the time, and for sure, slow down or you will get nailed.
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 12:54am
#19
INforcing the Law
It would seem that there would be some common sense & not cents in enforcing traffic laws on the part of the cop. Does the offense endanger anyone or is it so very flagrant? The example of Booth, no child in sight @ 8:24, there are no sidewalks. Do 13 y/o's need help crossing the parkway? Even if the guy was going 31 in that 25 zone, what was the harm? I admit that I also believe a "Rolling Stop" is not a crime. I really believe their time would be better spent on the cart path, say from Mickey D's towards McIntosh and writing litter tickets. Punishment would be a Saturday morning litter patrol. You would get better citizens and at least the kids would recognize they were guilty of something.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 9:12pm
#20
Creative taxation; Hot lanes,
Creative taxation; Hot lanes, super speeder etc. We the people aren't producing what we used to through income tax and the machine (government) doesn't want to cut back spending.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 9:33pm
#21
I have noticed that in other
I have noticed that in other communities they use flashing yellow lights to warn of school zones. In PTC, where no two school speed zones are the same, this would be great for child protection but bad for speeding tickets.
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 12:41pm
#22
Flashing lights
I believe the city looked into that a few years back, but at 20,000 (rough guess) it would end up costing to much for all the school zones in PTC
Thu, 02/02/2012 - 1:37pm
#23
School Zone
One of the fund raising techniques is for a patrol car to troll the mile long school zone on Robinson, pulling cars over 1.5 hours after school lets out - no kids, buses or golf carts in sight.
how does the PTCPD use Asset forfeiture money?