Police Cruisers' Funding Approved

Melrose Police Chief Mike Lyle plans to add two new Dodge Charger patrol cruisers to the Police Department's aging fleet, after the Melrose Board of Aldermen approved a transfer of $76,000 at Monday night's board meeting.

In early March, Lyle told Patrick Dello Russo, city auditor and chief financial officer, that the Police Department is in "dire need" of new vehicles, he told the aldermen. Lyle asked for funding for five new vehicles and Dello Russo found funding for two within the city coffers, which the chief said will replace two patrol vehicles with an excess of 90,000 miles each on them; one cruiser has a "band-aided" engine that'll go another 10,000 miles, Lyle said, while the other has a bad oil leak.

The cost of the two new Dodge Chargers — which the chief said cost about $1,800 less than the well-known Ford Crown Victoria model commonly used as a police cruiser — includes outfitting each vehicle with all the necessary police equipment, Lyle said, as well as purchasing five-year or 75,000 mile bumper-to-bumper extended warranties for each, in contrast to previous cruiser purchases that only came with a powertrain warranty. One cruiser will be purchased outright and the other leased.

Lyle said after five years or 75,000 miles, it costs the Police Department more to keep a cruiser on the road than purchasing a new vehicle.

"Most of our vehicles are at 75,000 or near 75,000 miles," he said. The Police Department currently has seven patrol cars, one SUV for a supervisor, one motorcycle and four administrative cars. "They're all at the end. I informed the auditor that we need five (new vehicles) this year and three next year, because without it, in three years we're looking at purchasing a complete fleet. That's worse thing you can do."

While the aldermen voted unanimously to transfer the funding from the city's unemployment expenses account to the appropriate Police Department accounts in order purchase the new cruisers, Alderman at-Large recalled that months ago, the aldermen approved an emergency appropriation of over $200,000 to that unemployment expenses account at the behest of city officials.

According to the minutes of the aldermen's Feb. 1 meeting (PDF), the board approved a transfer of $210,000 from the city's health contractual account to the unemployment account.

"This has nothing to do with the purpose of the expenditure, which are fine and well needed," Conn said. "I'm going to support the order, but I would ask Mr. President [Frank Wright] if you could make inquiry — I'd make it myself if the auditor were here — why we appropriated that money and it was not needed."

Lyle commented that Dello Russo was away, hence his absence at Monday night's meeting.

Asked by Ward 2 Alderman Monica Medeiros if there were any time constraints — the order for the transfer was taken up for immediate consideration Monday night — Lyle said, "The Police Department certainly needs vehicles today. We're using administrative cars to patrol. It's that bad."