Peabody looks at new police vehicles
Staff writer
Peabody Police Chief Matthew Neal was a little surprised Monday when the City Council put a temporary hold on two new police vehicles he requested.
The vehicles are a Ford Explorer for $41,910 and an F-150 truck for $48,262. The cost to outfit the two would add between $14,000 and $20,000.
Neal and City Clerk Paul Leeker said that the Explorer would come available immediately, while the F-150 would be ready in January.
Council member Julia Ensminger questioned why the only bid was from a Wichita auto dealer, not a Marion County dealer.
“I just have a problem with buying from Wichita,” she said. “We have to keep our tax dollars local.”
Neal replied that he had left a message with Hillsboro Ford and never received a call back.
Council voted 4-0, with Mayor Catherine Weems absent, for Neal to reach out to Hillsboro Ford one more time. If unsuccessful, the Explorer could be purchased from the dealership in Wichita.
Since the F-150, which would be a police pursuit vehicle, won’t be ready until January, there would be more time for research, the council decided.
Council member Tom Spencer said the F-150 should have a 5.0 liter engine to handle high-speed pursuits while lasting a long time. Spencer said he has a similar truck and engine that runs great after 250,000 miles.
If the new vehicles are approved, the department will have three patrol vehicles and one for a code enforcement officer.
“We have three vehicles that are not being used,” Neal said.
These three vehicles and another city vehicle will be sold by the city.
After the meeting Neal told the Record that he was not disappointed in the decision, but there was a little confusion on the bids.
Vehicles now in the police fleet are seven, eight and 10 years old.
They are very hard to maintain,” he said.
Neal told the council he would like to hire three part-time officers, and has started the hiring process.
When asked by the Record the salaries for the three officers, Neal said he had a range but was not going to divulge that for now.