July 9, 2024 |
Photo – Saratoga Police patch – Courtesy Saratoga Police Department
Competition for police vehicles in today’s United States is tough—certainly more rough-and-tumble than the Town of Saratoga gambled on, at least. As it turns out, the Saratoga PD missed out on a chance to purchase two used patrol vehicles at a good price.
The cars Saratoga wanted were sold to another town.
As reported by Bigfoot99, during the June 18th Saratoga town council meeting, Police Chief Mike Morris asked the governing body to allow him to buy two pre-owned Chevy Tahoe police SUVs for $82,500. The council gave Chief Morris permission to enter into negotiations with the dealership to purchase the two vehicles at the end of July, when the new fiscal budget year begins.
At last week’s Saratoga town council meeting, a disappointed Chief Morris said the dealership, located in Illinois, already sold the two SUVs. The police chief said he is unable to find any similarly priced vehicles.
Chief Morris said the dealership offered to hold the two Chevy Tahoes until the upcoming fiscal year. However, the police chief said a better offer was made and the dealership accepted. Chief Morris said he will continue to search for patrol vehicles.
Chief Morris said he was not pleased when he received the news.
In the meantime, the police chief said his current fleet of vehicles will need to be serviced. Chief Morris said he’ll try to stick to only essential repairs until he can find new patrol vehicles to purchase.
The council also expressed their disappointment over missing out on the two patrol vehicles. Chief Morris said he will continue to search for affordable pre-owned police cruisers.
