Police report: Halloween praised; hybrid patrol car problems prompt replacement discussion

At the Nov. 9 meeting the police update noted recent enforcement activity, fingerprinting services, and that there were no Halloween-incident-related calls. The department reported three arrests, one crash, 70 traffic tickets and 54 written warnings in the prior two weeks; the chief and board praised town and police preparations for Halloween events.

The most substantive personnel-equipment discussion focused on a problematic 2020 hybrid patrol vehicle that has required repeated work without a lasting fix. The police representative (S7) described multiple repair attempts and a dealer's reluctance to undertake an extensive diagnostic: "They just couldn't justify our money and their time in that car," the officer said of a shop that declined to repair it. Board members discussed options including trading the vehicle, selling it, leasing a new upfitted vehicle, or purchasing a used example; price estimates for a new upfitted turnkey vehicle were described in the $61,000 range and new-car chassis in the $45,000–$48,000 range, while a used option in Wisconsin was cited near $19,000. The police representative asked staff to return with procurement options and cost figures for the board to consider at a later meeting.