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Council approves new police vehicles
By MELISSA LATTMAN
| Article published on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 |
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PINELLAS PARK – The Pinellas Park City Council approved the purchase of new specialized vehicles that will be used by police to patrol the community redevelopment district.
The council discussed at length the merits of the vehicles that are part of a federal grant for the redevelopment area along Park Boulevard and 66th Street.
The grant also includes the hiring of five additional police officers. Michael Gustafson, city manager, said the group of officers will be a “very special unit. The vehicles are very approachable.”
The six new vehicles includes a scooter-type green, canvas-topped Polaris Ranger 800cc that will cost approximately $12,000.
Councilwoman Sandra Bradbury said police will use that vehicle at the Shoppes at Park Place Mall on U.S. 19 and around the railroad tracks that snake through the city.
Bradbury said the vehicle will give officers an opportunity to patrol the back of buildings and narrow alleys.
“I think this is something the police department can use and use quite well,” Bradbury said. “It looks like a golf cart but it has a lot more oomph to it.”
Councilman Rick Butler said the scooter “is not your typical Crown Victoria patrol car.
“It’s more accessible to come up and chat with officers,” Butler said. “The uniforms and activities of the special unit will be different. These vehicles do look a little different.”
Councilman Ed Taylor said the vehicles seem to have limited use, but pointed out that they and the extra police personnel should help the area.
Vice Mayor Jerry Mullins said, “I think we have a great police department.
“We are on the cutting edge,” he said. “We were the first in Pinellas County to bring in horses and this new task force, too, will get the job done.”
The other vehicles are four Segways and one $14,000 two-passenger Smart Car. The Segways will cost a total of around $27,000. Segway of Central Florida’s list of public safety agencies using the vehicles includes the St. Petersburg police and the Pinellas County School Board’s safety and security department.
Chief Dorene Thomas said the vehicles make officers truly accessible. The Polaris Ranger and Segways are all terrain and versatile off and on the road. The Smart Car is environmentally friendly.
“Currently just cruisers are used in the community redevelopment area,” Thomas said.
The vote was the same for each of the vehicles. Butler, Bradbury, and Mullins favored the purchases and Taylor and Mayor Bill Mischler were opposed. Concerns expressed about the vehicles included safety, versatility and longevity of use.
In other matters:
• Mischler recognized Bob Bray, the city’s community planning director, for his efforts and that of his team and other city agencies to reduce flood insurance rates by 5 percent from last year.
• The council approved an ordinance extending time limits for development permits to allow more time for property owners and developers to secure financing.
• The council also approved the purchase of a Ford F-150 pickup truck for the police department’s homeless outreach program.
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Article published on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
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