$388K Worth Of Police Cars, Equipment Purchased By Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Bridgewater Mayor and Council recently approved roughly $388,000 worth of purchases for new cars and equipment for the township police.

The four contracts were unanimously approved by the council during the July 19 meeting. The contracts include purchasing six new police vehicles totaling roughly $262,000 and $126,000 worth of equipment including plate readers and emergency lighting.

The new vehicles will replace vehicles that have exceeded 100,000 miles, are 13-years-old or older, and vehicles that have become costly to repair, according to Bridgewater Spokesman Wells Winegar.

"Every year the Police Department purchases vehicles to replace vehicles that have become costly to repair or have become unsafe for Patrol duties," said Winegar. "The Department also seeks to purchase some new vehicles yearly to avoid the Township having to bear the expense of a much larger purchase at an unpredictable interval."

With the six new vehicles, the police department will now have 41 vehicles in the fleet.

Below is a breakdown of the purchases:

• Two 2021 Police SUV Interceptors fully equipped with required emergency equipment - $91,074.64
• Two 2021 Ford Police Interceptors fully equipped with required emergency equipment for detective bureau - $67,302
• One 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe fully equipped with required emergency equipment - $49,669.67
• One 2021 Ford F250 Extended Cab with utility body fully equipped with required emergency equipment - $55,107.80
• Two 3-Camera Mobile Plate Readers for two police Ford SUV Interceptors - $49,160
• Emergency Lighting and System for Police Ford SUV Interceptors, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford F250, and two Ford Interceptors for the detective bureau - $77,667.98

All of these purchases will be funded through the Somerset County Improvement Authority Somerset Municipal Banc Program.

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