By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Four Atmore City Council members gave unanimous approval to the purchase of five new vehicles and a subscription to an online risk management program for city police and formally accepted two grants that will be used to pay for the recently constructed hangars at the local airport.
The police vehicles, five Ford F150 Responder Supercrew 4×4 pickups, will be purchased from Stivers Ford Lincoln in Montgomery, off the state bid list. The souped-up pickups will cost roughly $50,000 each, with additional costs associated with light packages, push bumper packages and other additions.
Council members (Mayor Pro Tem Shawn Lassiter was unable to attend the meeting.) also approved an annual subscription to Lexipol, which will assist with in-house training of police officers and immediate updates to federal or state legislation that will help keep police department policies and procedures up to date.
“If there is new legislation, state or federal (that affects police), we get notified immediately,” said Police Chief Chuck Brooks. “Policies constantly change, and (Lexipol) adjusts the policies to make sure we are in compliance.”
Brooks said the new “tool” would put local police on a par with most any other department in Alabama.
“Our officers will be more trained and better equipped to handle citizen complaints,” he said. “They will be right up there with the best in the state.”
The cost of the training and policy management package is $17,708 per year.
The council also accepted two grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an appropriation of $144,000 from the FAA’s Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) and a $150,000 grant from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Grant program.
Mayor Jim Staff said the federal funds would be used to cover the final payments on the recent construction of six new hangars, each of which is already rented.