Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker explained the city’s decision to purchase five police vehicles from Kelley Chevrolet in Fort Wayne during Tuesday night’s Warsaw City Council meeting. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer requested Whitaker provide a slide presentation on the vehicle purchases to city council. Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety at its Jan. 18 meeting approved WPD purchasing five police cars including three 2012 Chevy Tahoes and two 2013 Chevy Caprices from Kelly Chevrolet, Fort Wayne. The total cost was $135,087. “By purchasing the stock 2012 and 2013 vehicles from Kelley Chevrolet, WPD saved an additional $6,544 beyond the original savings of $12,876 for a total savings of $19,420,” Whitaker said. “We were already going to be piggybacking off the Fort Wayne bidding process with the vehicles Fort Wayne already had in stock and we could get these vehicles at a lower price and the same pricing as Fort Wayne Police Department,” Whitaker said. From 2010 to 2012 WPD has expended $165,974 for vehicle maintenance for parts and supplies. WPD also expended $240,257 for the purchase of 11 vehicles: eight from Kerlin Motors, Silver Lake, and three from Rice Ford, Warsaw. Whitaker thanked the local car dealers for their continued service and said the department will continue to use their services for maintenance and repairs. Thallemer said the city has 86 vehicles on the street currently and 85 percent of those vehicles were purchased in the county. The only vehicles with the exception of one that were purchased outside the county were police cars. “It’s important to understand pickups, SUVS and vehicles can be negotiated and we’ve been very pleased with our local car dealers and the service they give us,” Thallemer said. Whitaker said in December 2012 WPD got three quotes for Chevrolets from Kelley Chevrolet, Fort Wayne, Lakeside Chevrolet, Warsaw, and Shepherd’s Chevrolet, North Manchester. WPD also got three Ford quotes from Bloomington Ford, Bloomington, Kerlin Ford and Rice Ford. WPD got three quotes for a 2013 Chevrolet for two patrol sedans, two K-9 utility vehicles and one Fatal Alcohol Crash Team utility vehicle. Quotes were $154,508 from Lakeside Chevrolet, Warsaw; $149,100 from Shepherd’s Chevrolet; North Manchester, and $141,632 from Kelley Chevrolet, Fort Wayne. Also requested during the quote process were numbers for a new 2013 Chevrolet Caprice from Kelley Chevrolet, that was $1,745 less than the 2013 ordered vehicle. For the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoes two were $834 less than the 2013 ordered vehicle and one was $1,389 less than the 2013 ordered vehicle.
