
A contributed photo from March 2022.
DERBY – City officials need to buy two automobiles ASAP if they want to maintain a safe fleet of police vehicles.
New Derby Police Chief Scott Todd said the police department usually buys two new vehicles a year, a practice that’s been done for some 24 years. The idea is to replace front-line vehicles that have roughly 100,000 miles on the odometer.
However, budget constraints prevented two new vehicles from being purchased last year. So, at a meeting of the Derby Capital Planning Commission last week, Todd asked the city to buy two police SUVs totaling $101,204.
“Last year no vehicle replacements were funded, putting us behind the eight ball. This request should be at four, but we will keep it at two.”
The request had the support of Alderman Charles Sampson, who is a police officer in Westport, and Alderman Gino DiGiovanni. However, complicating the matter was the fact several members of the commission were not at the meeting, so the meeting lacked a quorum, which meant Sampson and DiGiovanni could not take official action.
Todd pointed out the city is under a tight deadline with the new vehicles. The vendor from which the city could make the purchase said the SUVs will be available in mid-October.
If Derby police don’t take ownership within one week of arrival, the vehicles will be sold to another department. Supply chain issues have caused the price of police vehicles to increase – and the vehicles are harder to get than a few years ago.
Another chance to buy the vehicles wouldn’t come around for 10 to 12 months, Scott said, which would lead to an increase of decrepit vehicles.
“No police officer likes to drive a car that is shaking and rattling as you are trying to respond to emergencies,” the chief said.
Police vehicles average about 30,000 miles per year. Sampson said police patrol vehicles with more than 80,000 miles are not safe.
The two vehicles being replaced or from 2015 or 2016 and have roughly 100,000 miles on each, Todd estimated.
Sampson and DiGiovanni said the purchase of the vehicles should be placed on the agenda of the next Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen meeting, scheduled for Oct. 13. The purchases are eligible to be purchased with money from the American Rescue Plan.