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Police chief requests $1.08 million for 17 patrol vehicles; committee to review again before vote
Summary
Chief Blytheman requested funding for 17 patrol vehicles—seven for new hires and 10 to replace aging units—estimated at $1,080,000 based on Dodge Durango fully equipped pricing; the committee heard the request and deferred a vote to a future meeting.
Tuscaloosa Police Chief Blytheman presented the department's vehicle request to the Finance Committee, asking for funding to purchase 17 marked patrol vehicles at an estimated total of $1,080,000.
"17 vehicles is the minimum needed to sustain operational readiness. This request is not about expansion. It's about preservation," Chief Blytheman said, explaining seven units would be for officers completing training and 10 would replace units with high mileage or wreck damage. He said the department has 244 officers on duty, 20 vacancies and seven officers in training; the authorized sworn complement is 264.
Chief Blytheman described fleet condition concerns: 31 vehicles had more than 100,000 miles, two exceeded 200,000 and 14 vehicles were out of service (six wrecked and eight unreliable). He said the department prefers the Dodge Durango for price and suitability and cited a per-unit fully equipped cost of $63,109, subject to state bid changes. "A total cost for 7 is 1,000,072, and we're requesting 1,080,000," he said, noting the request used last year's prices and staff added a contingency for possible price increases.
Council members asked for additional information and timing. Chief Blytheman said vehicles would be ordered in October and begin arriving the following summer, with installation and outfitting paced by the shop. The committee did not vote on the request; members asked staff to "get everything out on the table" and return the item for a future vote after review.
The chief emphasized the take-home program's role in morale and vehicle care; members asked for further quarterly public safety personnel accounting and follow-up data before formal approval.
