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WARREN -- Four new police Ford Explorers that were ordered in January this year from Klaben Ford are patrolling the city streets.
Officials are hoping to get more new vehicles sometime in 2021 or 2022.
Each of the basic SUV models cost the department $33,000. However, in order to make them fully functional police vehicles, the department spent an additional $17,000 per vehicle to install internet and GPS, cages in the vehicle's rear seats, and center consoles that hold gun racks.
The total cost for the vehicles was $175,495, according to city Auditor Vince Flask.
The city is placing a new camera system in the vehicles, which will work with body cameras the city is expected to purchase for its officers.
The vehicles arrived in the city in September, but because of the modifications needed to make them road-ready for patrol, it took until the first week of November to get the last car on the road, according to police detective Zach Jones.
The order took so long to complete because the manufacturer has back orders of police SUVs from across the country.
Warren police now have 33 marked units and 24 unmarked units assigned to supervisors, detectives, the dog warden and others.
"We are not in the position to remove a car from service when we purchase a new vehicle," Jones said. "If cars are operational, we continue to use them."
Police vehicle maintenance and repair costs have fluctuated over the last four years, according to city records. In 2017, the department spent $41,716 to keep its vehicles on the road. Its costs dropped to $31,277 in 2018 but increased to $64,216 in 2019.
As of mid-November, the department's records had it spending $38,086 on repair and maintenance of its vehicles.
The department requested getting up to six new vehicles, but has not heard from the administration whether it will receive them. Jones said he put three vehicles out of service during 2020.
Council approved legislation in May allowing the city to take bids for the building of a city operated impound lot. The police department would be in charge of operating the lot.
Supporters of the lot argued that some of the profits could be used to pay for the purchase of new police vehicles.
The idea of using proceeds from the impound lot to pay for new police vehicles and purchase other equipment needed by the department was the primary reason why Councilman John Brown, D-at Large, supported the proposal.
The city delayed seeking bids for the project after Councilman Ken MacPherson, D-5th Ward, sought to place a referendum on the ballot to reverse the legislation allowing the city to seek bids for the building of the project.
MacPherson, however, failed to get enough valid signatures to place the referendum on the November ballot.
Safety Service Director Eddie Colbert said the city delayed seeking bids for the program until next year.
"Due to the uncertainties (of the coronavirus pandemic), we put several expenditures on hold until we had a more solid understanding of our financial position," Colbert said.
In the meantime, Jones said the police department still is using its five oldest vehicles, 2007 Crown Victorias, as school resource officer vehicles. All of the Crown Victorias have more than 200,000 miles on them.
"These cars generally stay on school properties," Jones said.
In addition to the 13-year-old Crown Victorias, the department also has eight Ford Taurus vehicles, each of which likely have more than 150,000 miles on them.
"We are putting a lot of money in them, simply to keep them running," Jones said.
The department has 18 officers with police vehicles assigned to them, including upper ranking officials, as well as 21 vehicles that are shared between shifts.
The city purchased seven Ford Explorer SUVs in 2018. It purchased five Ford Explorers in 2015. The older Explorers have about 100,000 miles on them.
The city went from purchasing cruisers to SUV vehicles to provide extra interior space for officers.
"It is tough for officers that are 6 foot or taller to fit in the smaller cruisers," Jones said.