Memorandum 16-104 Police Vehicle Purchase

Memorandum 16-104

TO:                       Katie Koester, City Manager

FROM:                 Will Hutt, Lieutenant

DATE:                  June 1, 2016

SUBJECT:         Police Vehicle Purchase

We are requesting funds to purchase two used Ford Police Interceptor AWD vehicles. The Explorer purchased in 2014 is working out very well and is realizing much better fuel economy than our current four wheel drive vehicles. It is also realizing comparable mileage to the other sedans used by HPD while providing greater access to areas that are difficult or impossible to reach without four wheel drive. As vehicles need replacing, HPD has been replacing sedans with SUV’s.

The extreme age of the current fleet requires that we start replacing the older vehicles. We are currently utilizing a 1998 model and a 2000 model which require expensive maintenance due to high mileage. Five vehicles in our fleet are more than 13 years old.

While researching the cost of 2016 year models I found two surplused SUV’s through the State of Alaska DOT fleet program. These two vehicles are able to be procured at a price that is lower than the Explorer purchased by HPD in 2014; this is due to the dismantling of the State of Alaska Bureau of Highway Patrol traffic team. These two particular vehicles are part of the State surplus which enables the City to procure them at a reduced cost. A new SUV with the same police package will cost us $29,000 through the state’s contract for Ford police vehicles.  They are the 2015 model with 2000+/- miles on them.

$85,000 was transferred to the fleet reserves in the 2016 budget in anticipation of fleet replacement. Normally this expenditure would come as part of a mid-year budget amendment, however, we need to act quickly as this is a onetime opportunity.

We plan on outfitting the Explorers through Alaska Safety in Anchorage. Alaska Safety is the primary outfitter for most public safety agencies in Alaska. They have negotiated favorable contracts with all of the major suppliers of public safety equipment and offer the best pricing available. Due to the fact that we can utilize the radios, radar and TraCS Toughbook computer equipment from the old vehicles, we will realize a cost savings on the outfitting of each vehicle of approximately $4,500.

We request Council authorization to purchase two aforementioned Ford Explorers with the police package from DOT fleet management program for $25,000 each, and to outfit them through Alaska Safety for approximately $7,500 each.