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Police department raises funding questions on gun range, armored vehicle and patrol car replacements
Summary
The police department presented options for a local gun range (outdoor and indoor cost estimates), said a 22-year-old armored vehicle is due for replacement, and described the multi-year plan to return to purchased patrol cars; body and in-car camera costs are being addressed in the operating budget.
Leavenworth Police Department leaders presented commissioners with a multi-part equipment and training priorities list that included a baseline study for a city gun range, replacement planning for the department’s 22-year-old armored vehicle (BearCat), and a phased return to purchased patrol cars.
Chief Pat Kitchens (Chief of Police) said the city currently shares a training/range facility at the Lansing Correctional Facility but scheduling and aging infrastructure make a local range attractive. Staff procured conceptual estimates: an outdoor range concept priced around $1.2 million and an indoor range estimate in the $4.0–$4.5 million range, with the indoor option substantially more expensive because of ventilation and lead-collection requirements. Kitchens said staff have “started” public–private partnership conversations and said regional partners and other agencies could share costs and scheduling.
The department flagged other priorities: replacement of a 22-year-old regional armored vehicle (BearCat) that was originally funded through a regional federal grant; staff reported roughly half the replacement cost is currently allocated and said they would pursue federal assistance and contributions from other county law-enforcement partners. Kitchens and staff also described the transition from leased patrol cars back to a purchase model: the department plans to order vehicles in multi-year batches so replacements (which can take many months to be built and upfitted) arrive on a predictable schedule to avoid a one-year spike in capital needs. The chief emphasized that patrol-car ordering requires lead time—orders placed early in a budget year may not be in service until late in the following year.
Commissioners were also reminded that body-worn cameras and in-car camera systems are being funded via the operating budget (a separate discussion) and that some CIP projects were deprioritized while the department funds recurring camera leases in operations.
No formal action occurred; staff said they would continue to refine cost estimates, pursue grants and partner contributions, and return specific purchase requests and grant applications to the commission for approval.
