City to purchase additional police vehicles

After falling behind schedule in updating its police vehicle fleet because of "significant delays in receiving them," the Gatesville Police Department is anticipating getting two new vehicles "in hand prior to Sept. 30, 2023" and another three vehicles "around December 2023.

That was the news Gatesville Police Chief Brad Hunt gave to the Gatesville City Council, which approved the purchase of two Chevy Silverado "pursuit rated and fully upfitted vehicles for $167,556" from Caldwell Country Chevrolet.

"I have been looking for at least two months to see what dealers had on their lot that meet our requirements - better cooler systems, better brakes and a better safety system in case you're involved in a crash," Hunt said.

"I was the fleet coordinator in Temple (for the Temple Police Department), and we had 180 vehicles there. The new Chevy Silverado will meet our needs. We will not be able to take delivery of the other vehicles already ordered before the end of the year, and we're already a year behind schedule on replacing vehicles."

Those three vehicles on order cost the city $175,306.

According to a memorandum to the Council, "Those vehicles were ordered in a timely manner, but we have experienced significant delays in receiving them."

Two approved vendors, Cap Fleet Upfitters and Caldwell Country Chevrolet "have agreed to honor the price no matter how long it takes them to deliver the vehicles," the memo stated.

Hunt said the police department has "been working to identify alternate vehicles which would be suitable to our needs, priced at a value relative to their suitability, and immediately available on a dealership lot."

The Silverados purchased by the city "are unique vehicles and, as such, are their price. These two vehicles would be issued to the patrol sergeants, acting as mobile command centers on major incidents, and are not being used in the same manner as regular marked police vehicles, in terms of acceleration/braking events when doing traffic enforcement and responding to emergencies," the memo stated.

"The four-wheel drive capabilities of the vehicles would also be a benefit to us, especially since we do, on occasion, need to traverse some rough countryside or remain mobile during freezing weather events."

Hunt added that the four-wheel drive feature "is a key component for us - you need a couple vehicles that are heavy duty."