CAPD talk squad car purchase

The Colby/Abbotsford Police Department (CAPD) discussed the possibility of purchasing a new pursuit vehicle during its monthly meeting on Monday, March 14.

CAPD received four quotes. The first was from Colby Chrysler for a 2022 Dodge Durango pursuit package for $37,000.

“The only problem with that quote is Dodge is not taking orders on government vehicles,” Bauer told the commission.

The second quote was for a 2021 Durango pursuit package in the amount of $35,851 from Gross Motors out of Neillsville.

“I was talking to the dealer down there . . . and they have one left,” Bauer said. “It’s not spoken for, so I said I’d run it by the police commission.”

A third quote was from AbbyFord for $36,116 and the final quote was for an electric squad car for $47,705. Bauer expressed doubts on owning an electric vehicle.

“At 3 o’clock in the morning, if you’re at ten percent battery, you probably don’t have enough to get to jail and back in the winter,” Bauer said.

When asked which of the four cars he preferred, Bauer joked, “I’d be fine with anything.”

CAPD commission board president Todd Schmidt believed that no matter which car their board approved, it would still need to go through Colby and Abbotsford city councils before final approval for any purchase could be granted.

“Because this is in the budget, does this need to go through the councils also?” Schmidt inquired.

Abbotsford mayor Jim Weix and Colby mayor Jim Schmidt each agreed it would need to pass their boards first.

Bauer said he did not think he would need to put any money down in order to hold a vehicle, and on his recommendation, the board approved moving forward on the $35,851 Durango package from Gross Motors of Neillsville.

CAPD received a check in the amount of $2,425 from an auto dealer located in Arkansas.

“What happened was . . . the owner refused to come and pick it up,” Bauer explained.

A lien was placed on the vehicle, and the owner was charged for the storage. Bauer said the owner still owes another $1,000. The police commission placed the $2,425 into the auto-replacement fund.

Other business

_ A motion to pay the expenditures as presented was approved.

_ The board paid $1,300 to repair a broken heating fan in one of its squad cars.

_ The next CAPD meeting is April 11 at 6:30 p.m.