The monthly Kingston Town Council meeting was held on August 13. During the meeting, Kingston Police Chief John Bridgeman approached the council with concerns about one of the current police cars.
According to Bridgeman, the oldest on the fleet is a 2013, and has almost 100,000 miles on it. Typically, police cruisers are replaced when the unit nears 80,000 miles or so. The reasons for that is once the car reaches the higher miles, it seems to need more service work done to it.
That is the case for the 2013 on the Kingston fleet. Bridgeman said they are beginning to have problems with the vehicle, and it is costing too much to continually put repairs on it.
The police chief found a 2019 Dodge Charge with no miles on it, completely outfitted for a total of $36,273. Of course, the car will not come off of the sales floor with everything needed to make it a police cruiser, various agencies will take care of that.
Kingston Council Member Michelle Bearden asked if that amount was budgeted for this Fiscal Year. Bridgeman replied that is what he typically tries to do. The council voted unanimously on purchasing the police cruiser.
After Bridgeman concluded his presentation, Kingston Fire Chief James Kuykendall approached the podium. One of the items he was bringing to the council’s attention was a security camera system for the fire department.
The system would include seven cameras, a shelf, a switch and the recording system. Not only would the video catch just the fire department but the park and some of city hall. The council tabled the item until they can speak with IT about some questions they had.