Police ask to replace aging laptops, patrol cars as committee seeks invoices and vendor quotes

Chief Pucher told the financial committee the police department’s computers are largely out of warranty and many devices are failing, and requested funds to replace roughly 21 workstations to support evidence video, CAD and other systems. Committee members questioned the per-unit price shown in the budget — more than $3,000 per workstation in some quotes — and asked staff to provide the original quotes and a breakdown of what each unit includes (CPU, monitors, camera, mounts and labor).

The chief also requested two patrol vehicles and proposed decommissioning three high-mileage units. He said a current grant of about $71,000 should cover much of the equipment (lights, mounts, cameras) that goes on a new patrol Tahoe; vehicles typically remain in service for seven years. The committee asked for documentation of grant awards and for staff to reclassify PD computer purchases under a Public Safety line in the council packet so the public can more easily see what the police are receiving.

On non-vehicle equipment, members pressed for a more detailed breakdown of taser costs and associated consumables (batteries, cartridges). The chief agreed to email a fuller cost breakdown and to circulate vendor quotes to the committee. No formal vote was taken; the committee agreed to revisit the lines after receiving the requested documentation.

Next steps: staff will provide original vendor quotes, a per-unit cost breakdown for workstations and taser equipment, and clarify which items will be paid from grant carryover versus the city’s capital reserve.