By Gari Voss
The new fleet of vehicles for the City of Allegan Police Department has begun to arrive. It was at the April 13, 2021 meeting of the City Council when it was decided to have “Conversations to further explore the possible development of an agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management to update and maintain the city’s fleet.”
On April 26, 2021, “After discussion, the Council approved the request to begin the Motor Vehicle Pool Leasing Program with Enterprise Fleet Management to replace the city’s 20 light duty vehicles, which includes police vehicles, DPW pick-up trucks and Water Utility trucks that average 13 years old and have 78,000 miles on them.”
During the first negotiations, the plan was to lease SUVs. Because of problems with availability, the SUVs were taken off the table. This led to the approval of 4X4 Ford pickups that contained the same amenities as the SUVs.
February 2023, the police vehicles have begun to arrive. The Ford pickups are decked out with the instrumentation and equipment that will enable the officers to keep watch around the city, respond to calls, and support other Allegan County response teams.
“It is great to have room in the cab to work on the computer without it being in the lap of someone in the passenger seat,” shared Police Chief Jay Gibson. “The roll out in the bed holds equipment like fire extinguishers, flares, throw ropes, unlocking kits, plus.”
Two of the pickups are on duty and two more are due to arrive soon. When they do, the current cruisers will be turned back to Enterprise. At that point, the City will be credited.
Seeking New Officers
Chief Gibson is currently looking to hire a new officer to round out the City of Allegan team. The person must be a certifiable or licensed police officer who has passed the MCOLES pre-employment written and physical agility exams. Candidates must have a complete background investigation plus successfully pass a medical examination, drug screen and psychological examination.
Successful candidates will move into 12-hour shifts with 13 paid holidays and 184 hours of PTO in the first year. This includes starting at $52,913 and moving forward to about $70,000 in addition to a 410k with a 10% contribution and a 457 deferred compensation program.
For more information and to obtain an application, please contact Tracy Stull at tstull@cityofallegan.org.
In the meanwhile, City of Allegan police officers are enjoying their new pickups and having updated equipment.