REPD Seeks to Replace Four Squad Cars

During a previous Saturday budget meeting with the River Edge Mayor and Council, Police Chief Thomas Cariddi discussed the need to replace some of the vehicles in the police fleet. Last night, Cariddi appeared during the Council's work session to discuss the possibility of having a portion of the 2011 budget approved for expenditure earlier than expected because the department currently has two traffic cars completely out of service.

"I have been monitoring a couple of alternatives, such as exploring used vehicles from a rental car fleet like the Prosecutor's Office has been doing for years with great success," Cariddi said.

According to Cariddi, as of Jan. 8 he had received a trade-in value estimate of $24,387 for four Ford Sedans and the Expedition, but the price has recently dropped to $23,000.

"I had been planning on purchasing the 2009 Chevy Impalas to replace the vehicles with the most mileage," Cariddi said. "But because timing is everything, I've since been told that those vehicles have mostly sold and are no longer available. There are only three left, with higher mileage and two of which are red and would need an entire paint job."

The 2010 Impalas are available to the department but at a cost of $15,373 per vehicle. Cariddi proposed that the department could lease two vehicles with a deferred purchase target date of May and then purchase two 2010 Chevy Impalas outright.

The leased vehicle costs are estimated at $12,400 for both vehicles and the purchased Impalas are estimated at $20,146 after the trade-in value of $7,700 for two vehicles.

"This allows us to have four cars coming in next year," Cariddi said. "And looking forward to 2012 and 2013, we would only have the full year lease for the two vehicles. It would leave the vehicle fleet completely refurbished and allow us to go forward."

Cariddi expressed concern that if the vehicles were not leased or purchased in the coming year, he would then not have enough vehicles on hand for traffic control. As of January, the River Edge Police officers have been paid $11,887 by outside contractors for traffic control.

But the good news, is that in a few weeks the squad car which was damaged when it went off-road will be back in service. The vehicle, driven by Officer Joseph Zematies was involved in a January  as he attempted to perform a motor vehicle stop. Zematies' lost control of the car and it spun off road into a ditch near New Bridge Road. The vehicle is being repaired at an estimated cost of $7,500.

The Council approved Cariddi's request to go forward with replacing the squad cars. Because the borough will not approve a finalized budget until late spring, the funding will come out of a temporary budget.