Schererville council approves financing to replace police, public-works and wastewater equipment; authorizes body and in-car cameras

The Schererville Town Council voted 4-0 Wednesday to pursue financing for an equipment and vehicle replacement plan covering the police department, animal control, fire, public works and wastewater treatment plant projects.

Town Director of Operations Annie Hansen told the council the proposal packages police and animal-control vehicle replacements, in-car camera replacements for roughly 40 patrol vehicles, a new five-year taser agreement covering training and cartridges, and the addition of body cameras for officers. "So this would include body cameras and in car cameras," Hansen said during the presentation. Hansen also presented an estimated $1,300,000 figure for the police and animal-control portion of the plan and said figures were rounded and subject to confirmation.

Hansen said the fire department would replace roughly 20 full sets of turnout gear that have reached end-of-life, public works would replace a backhoe, a 26-year-old sewer camera, a roller from 1976 and three pickup trucks, and the wastewater plan consists of three projects with the town's share estimated at $700,000. Hansen noted Saint John is contractually obligated to pay 30 percent of the wastewater portion.

Town Manager Jim Gorman said the typical approach is to purchase and finance over four years. "Usually, it's a 4 year lease. Again, it's not a lease. It's a purchase, but doing the financing over 4 years," he said. The council asked for a motion to authorize pursuit of financing and verification of pricing and needs; Councilmember Tom Schmidt moved the measure and the council approved it 4-0.

Council members who spoke in favor cited officer safety and modernization benefits. One councilmember said replacing outdated in-car cameras and adding body cameras was "a plus" for officer safety and accountability. There was no recorded dissent.

The vote authorizes town staff to pursue financing, verify final pricing and return with finalized documents; it did not commit the town to a particular financing contract in the public record. The council instructed staff to confirm exact costs and bring financing terms back for final approval.

Background and near-term steps: staff will refine vendor pricing, finalize specifications for cameras and tasers, confirm wastewater cost allocations with Saint John, and return to the council with firm financing terms. The council indicated it expects a four-year financing structure for the purchases discussed.