WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) — The West Point Police Department is doing some car shopping.
The police chief said he is looking at police vehicles listed online because the department is in dire need of replacing an aging fleet of vehicles.
"What we're anticipating in doing if this works out is taking a trip over and looking at some used cars," said Chief Tim Brinkley, "...go with a letter of intent, identify the cars that we may be interested in buying and go back later and pick them up."
A brand new vehicle fully outfitted for a police department's needs, such as a Chevy Tahoe, would run between $30,000 to $35,000. That's one reason the department is looking at used vehicles.
"The vehicles that we're looking at may already come equipped with lights and sirens," added Brinkley. "So the only thing we'll have to do is buy a radio, have it programmed and put in it and get it stripped or marked according to your agency's specifications."
One reason why so many cars have to be replaced is that thousands of miles are accumulated on the vehicles at a rapid pace.
"Our patrol cars run 24-7," said Brinkley. "When one shift gets off, the next shift comes in and gets in that same car, and that car is always on the road patrolling."
The department hopes to have a couple of newly purchased used vehicles at their disposal sometime in the spring.
The West Point Police Department currently has 16 vehicles in its fleet for patrol officers and investigators.
