Abbeville Police Department upgrades cars

Five for less than the price of one is not a deal that comes around often, especially when purchasing vehicles.
Throw in the fact that the deal is to the benefit of taxpayers and it creates a golden situation.
It is exactly the kind of situation Abbeville Police Chief Tony Hardy helped facilitate in last year. During that time, the Abbeville Police Department purchased five Chevy Impala police cruisers, fully equipped and each around the 50,000 mile mark, from the Baker Police Department. The price tag for the five vehicles...$29,000.
“It would run you more than $30,000 for one new car,” Hardy said. “These (five) cars came with everything when we bought them. They have the cages, radar, lights. Everything is on there.
“We just had to paint, strip them and put our radio in them. That is it.”
There is no catch, just a matter of good timing for Abbeville.
“The Baker department was upgrading its fleet to (Chevy) Tahoes,” Hardy explained. “I was at the Louisiana Police Chief’s Conference last year and the Baker police chief came up and said he had some good cars to get rid of because they were upgrading.
“I told him I could sure use some.”
Hardy’s department purchased one car last year for $5,000. Recently, with the approval of the Abbeville City Council, Hardy bought four more from Baker, each with a $6,000 price tag.
“They joked with me about being able to get some more,” Hardy said of the council. “I think Baker has completely upgraded its fleet now.”
The five vehicles have added an infusion of youth to the APD’s fleet of road units, which is about 25.
“The one’s we replaced have up to 150,000 miles,” Hardy said. “You also have a lot of idle time and stopping and going.
“That is hard on a car.”
That was evident by the trips the older vehicles made to the shop.
“It was every other day,” Hardy said.
The newer cars have had a positive effect on that pace.
“I see a difference in the budget,” Hardy said. “I have a budget for maintenance of vehicles and equipment. That budget stopped moving so fast once these (newer) cars hit the road.”
The Abbeville Police Department has a $50,000 budget each year to purchase new vehicles. Hardy said the department is likely to purchase some brand-new cars in 2015.
“The last time we got new cars,” Hardy explained, “I bought five of them. That was in January 2012. The cars were ‘11 models and cost $150,000. I made three $50,000 in three years.
“Those five cars are now paid for.”
The APD’s fleet continues to improve, and with the potential purchase of brand-new vehicles in ‘15, that will certainly be the case.
“We are still playing catch up in weeding these older cars out,” Hardy said. “At the beginning of next year, we should be in real good shape.”
With the purchase of four cars this year for $6,000, in addition to $5,000 deal last year, the recent vehicle budget is in terrific shape.
“Paying $29,000 for five cars,” Hardy said with a smile, “that doesn’t often come. It’s great for the taxpayers.”