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Board earmarks money for unmarked car
Published October 30, 2009
RICHWOOD — To save money and provide a vehicle to the police department that can be used for surveillance, the Crime Control and Prevention Board approved buying an administrative car instead of a patrol car.
The change in plans was approved at the board’s meeting Monday.
The administrative vehicle will be unmarked and will look like a regular car, Richwood Police Lt. Kevin Munley said. The vehicle will be unrecognizable as a police car by residents, making it usable for surveillance, he said.
Currently, the department has no surveillance vehicle, he said.
The Crime Control and Prevention Board is funded by a quarter-cent increase in sales tax that took effect in September.
Though Munley is an administrator and rarely goes on patrol, his vehicle is a patrol vehicle. Instead of buying another patrol vehicle that is much more expensive, Munley suggested street officers use his patrol vehicle, he said.
The about $20,000 saved by not purchasing a patrol vehicle will be used for other police equipment, Munley said. Options include more radar and night vision equipment, but the board will make a decision at its next meeting Dec. 21, he said.
The board also was presented with an option to borrow money from the city so it could make the purchases sooner, but they tabled the item and decided to wait for the sales tax money to come in next year, Munley said.
Because of the tough economic times, the board believed it was important to wait and pay for the vehicle with sales tax instead of using money from the city, board president Clint Kocurek said.
Katlynn Lanham covers Richwood for The Facts. Contact her at 979-237-0150.
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