Committee approves fund transfer to replace four totaled police squads

The Wauwatosa Financial Affairs Committee approved a staff request to recognize insurance proceeds and increase expenditure authority to replace four police squads that were totaled in separate incidents since November.

John, the presenting staff member, told the committee the four vehicles include a stolen unit that was disabled during a chase, a vehicle disabled in that same collision, a squad damaged by a Milwaukee County snowplow (repair costs exceeded replacement value), and a squad rear‑ended while stopped with emergency lights on. "We had three different incidents in which four police cars were totaled," he said.

The replacement vehicles are priced at $53,510 each using 2025 pricing negotiated with vendor Ewald. John said insurance proceeds will cover approximately $124,000 of the roughly $191,000 needed for replacements and added‑on equipment, leaving an estimated gap of about $68,000 that the committee was asked to fund from contingency.

Committee members asked whether third‑party recovery efforts such as subrogation or county liability discussions might recoup additional funds; John said the city’s insurer will pursue subrogation on the rear‑end crash and staff is in conversations with Milwaukee County about the snowplow incident. Alderman McClough moved approval of the staff recommendation and the committee voted to authorize the transfer as presented (vote recorded in the meeting transcript as 7–0).

Staff said the fleet superintendent worked with the vendor to obtain 2025 pricing and that one of the totaled vehicles had only cash‑value insurance because it was beyond five years old.