Wenham Police Pickup Declared 'Surplus,' One New Cruiser Has Arrived

One of the cruisers with over 100,000 miles on it has been officially declared surplus.

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night declared cruiser 1723, a Ford F150 pickup truck, as surplus. It clears the way for it to be transferred to the water department, said Interim Town Administrator Mark Andrews.

The cruiser had been , all at once, in January when an independent review found safety concerns that needed to be addressed immediately. The department has six cruisers, including the chief’s car.

Later, in April, cruiser 1723 when it was rear-ended from behind after a bee in her car distracted another driver. Officer David Marsh received minor injuries in the crash.

In May, Annual Town Meeting voters for the department. The vote to buy the new cruisers came . An article was proposed for special town meeting last fall but it was pulled from the Town Meeting warrant before going to voters.

Previously, the department had been getting a new cruiser every year and a second new cruiser every third year.

The new cruisers have been bought through a lease-purchase agreement, instead of an outright purchase. It essentially means the town makes lease payments that will, in the end, mean the town will own the cruisers.

One new cruiser, a sedan, is already on the road, according to Chief Kenneth Walsh. While the cruiser has the distinctive blue and gray look of Wenham police cruisers, but it has yet to be painted with the town seal and other wording, Walsh said.