September 24, 2024
By Deputy Mayor Jessica Cleveland
The Board of Public Safety accepted a bid for two new 2023 Dodge Durango Pursuit vehicles at their September meeting. The bid was awarded to Jim Shorkey Auto Group in the amount of $114,236.
The new vehicles replace the department’s 2016 Ford Explorer and 2018 Dodge Charger, both of which have accumulated excessive mileage and show signs of advanced age. Chief Ted Murray expressed his satisfaction for the bid: “We have worked with Jim Shorkey Auto Group in the past and have had great experiences with them. Not only do they provide the vehicles, but they also specialize in outfitting them. It’s very convenient to have a one-stop shop to purchase and outfit vehicles, so our department isn’t arranging and paying for transportation to another vendor for outfitting.”
Mayor John Buckley shared his enthusiasm for the two new patrol cars, “We’re really excited to add these new vehicles to our fleet. Our vehicles are in constant use, and it doesn’t take long to rack up the miles. We are greatly appreciative of these grant funds which allow us to upgrade our fleet while minimizing the financial impact on our local base.”
The patrol cars are part of $188,000 in grant funds from New York States for police agencies. Chief Murray reviewed the department was recently authorized to make several purchases from the grant. In addition to the patrol cars, the department has ordered solar-powered pedestrian crossing signs and three radar feedback traffic signs. The crossing signs will be installed on Seneca and William Street to assist with high school student crossings, with the crosswalk also planned for repainting at the time of the installation.
Chief Murray also informed the Board that the department is completing the final steps to apply for a second round of funding from the same grant, totaling $280,000. The additional funding is anticipated to be used towards security upgrades at the department, with a large portion also being utilized to upgrade the City’s camera system.
