Car breakdowns create risk, police say

As patrol cars continue to break down, the Lorain police union is filing more complaints about the Police Department’s aging fleet.

The Lorain Fraternal Order of Police Lorain Lodge No. 3 this month filed five grievances over five cruiser break-downs since April 28.

The police union argued the city is violating the officers’ work contract by providing unsafe working conditions.

But if a cruiser breaks down when police are speeding to an emergency, city residents could be at risk, said FOP President Kyle Gelenius.

“We’re going to continue to file a grievance

every time a police car breaks down until city officials realize this is a problem,” Gelenius said.

The union and city pay for attorneys as they argue the cases before an arbitrator to rule on the grievances, he said.

If the city administration gets bogged down in grievances, so be it, Gelenius said.

“This continues to be a problem and it puts public safety at risk,” he said, adding the city administration is stalling on the arbitration process.

Lorain Deputy Safety-Service Director Derek Feuerstein, who is chief of staff for Mayor Chase Ritenauer, said the city administration is aware of the police union grievances, but he declined to comment on specific details because the issues are in the arbitration process.

In the most recent round of problems:

• May 7, Cruiser No. 122, a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria with at least 122,817 miles, broke down due to an electrical issue during the shift of Officer Miguel Salgado.

The car broke down around the time of bars closing on East 28th Street, according to the police union.

“This exudes confidence in the police at bar closing” on that street, Gelenius said via the social network Twitter.

• May 7, Cruiser No. 116, a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria with at least 110,594 miles, broke down due to a reported disconnected transmission cable during the shift of Officer Cielo Rodriguez.

• April 28, Cruiser No. 136, a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria with at least 93,191 miles, broke down apparently due to a blown radiator hose. The car was smoking as Officer Richard Hall attempted to stop a traffic violator.

• April 28, Cruiser No. 101, a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria with at least 103,761 miles, broke down during the shift of Officer Eric Rivera.

• April 28, Cruiser No. 122 broke down the first time due a reported unsafe electrical issue while Salgado was on patrol.

The patrol car mileage figures are based on a master list compiled as of the end of 2016.

This month, the Lorain police union also filed its own public records request for maintenance logs from the city’s Public Property Department.

Gelenius acknowledged if a car breaks down, residents may think officers can swap out the disabled cruiser with one parked at the police station at 100 W. Erie Ave.

However, those cars either are sitting because of maintenance issues or because officers used them working another shift, Gelenius said.

For example, at night time, the day shift cars are sitting parked, and vice versa, because the city does not run the police cars 24 hours a day.