By Karen Gleason
Four city council members on Tuesday voted to buy police patrol vehicles from an out-of-town dealer, but three council members said they’d prefer the city buy locally.
The council voted 4-3 to buy eight patrol vehicles for the Del Rio Police Department from Caldwell Country Chevrolet in Caldwell, Texas, for $500,320.
The Caldwell Country bid was one of three received by the city.
Two bids from Del Rio dealerships were rejected. City Purchasing Agent Luis Menchaca told the council one of the two local bids, from Brown Automotive Center, was rejected because it did not include power windows, power door locks, airbags, rear vision camera, locking rear axle differential, deep tint glass, tubeless tire and spare tire.
Mayor Pro-tem Alfredo “Fred” Carranza Jr. said he had several questions about buying the vehicles from Caldwell Country.
“I think that, at least for my own self, I’ve been pushing to purchase locally. I think we need to spend as many dollars as we can here in the city first and foremost,” Carranza said.
Carranza asked Del Rio Police Department Chief Fred Knoll Jr. if he had any concerns about the bids.
Knoll said he had reviewed the specifications for new vehicles for the police department, adding he was looking for larger sport utility vehicles, like Chevrolet Tahoes.
Knoll, who also said he understood the importance of buying locally, told the council he had some concerns about the Dodge Durangos offered by Ram Country, the other local dealership to submit bids on the patrol vehicles.
“I am just leery about going to a whole different concept of vehicle that’s smaller, and we have not had any opportunity to test those vehicles,” Knoll said, adding the department has not had good luck with first-year iterations of new vehicle lines.
Other issues raised included additional training that would be needed by officers to transition to a new type of vehicle and training for the city’s vehicle technicians.
“I really believe that we need to buy local, and (Ram Country’s) bid was $140,000-something cheaper (than Caldwell Country),” Carranza said.
Menchaca said the Ram Country bid was $353,344. He said the bid from Brown Automotive, which was not considered, was for $480,891. Caldwell Country’s bid was for $500,320.
Councilman Jim DeReus said he agreed with Carranza.
He wondered aloud if the additional training that would be needed by the city’s fleet technicians and police officers was worth “sending $500,000 out of town.”
Councilman Steven Webb, a former Del Rio police officer and administrator, said very few police departments are using the Dodge Durango.
“They’re not tested vehicles for police work. They’re smaller than the Tahoes, and when you’re talking safety for officers, having to fight a prisoner to put him in the back seat of a vehicle, you need as much room as you can get,” Webb said.
He added he is all for buying sedans locally, but said a larger vehicle is needed for officer safety.
“The bigger the vehicle, the better. We need to stick with what’s tried and true,” Webb said.
Councilman Raul Ojeda said he, too, would prefer to buy locally, but added, “The safety of our officers is paramount.”
Councilman J.P. Sanchez pointed out one of the local bidders met the specifications required by the city.
“They met all the specifications required. Their vehicles have a five-person seating capacity, and the people that voted for me want to know that we’re spending their money wisely,” Sanchez said, noting the savings realized by accepting the Ram Country bid could allow the city to buy more vehicles.
Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano said he would err on the side of officer safety, giving his perspective as a former member of the Air Force security police force. He said a smaller vehicle is harder for an officer to get into and out of and noted in an emergency every second counts.
Lozano, Webb, Ojeda and Councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon voted in favor of the ordinance, with Carranza, DeReus and Sanchez opposed.
