Council takes action on police requests

Approves purchase orders for new cruiser, computers

Madison Village Council has cleared the way to acquire a new police cruiser, and replace some old computers used by officers and the Mayor’s Court.

Council took that action by approving three purchase orders at its May 10 meeting.

Village legislators authorized the following requests:

• A purchase order to Statewide Ford Lincoln, totaling $42,000, for a 2021 Dodge Charger, equipped for law-enforcement use, for the Madison Village Police Department.

Statewide Ford Lincoln, based in Van Wert, Ohio, is the same vendor from which Madison Police Department bought a 2020 Ford Explorer SUV last year, said Police Chief Troy McIntosh. That vehicle arrived in late January.

McIntosh said he anticipates that the new police cruiser will be delivered by the start of this year’s fourth quarter.

• A purchase order to Newbury Technologies Corp., in the amount of $4,760, for the replacement of aging computers and a software upgrade for the village Police Department.

Newbury Technologies, based in Munson Township, will be providing the police department with four new desktop computers. The purchase price also includes Microsoft Office software and labor for installation, McIntosh said.

Three of the new computers will replace existing units in the Police Department.

“Two are from 2011, one is from 2014,” he said.

The fourth machine is an additional computer, which is being purchased because police have an extra work station in their department at the new Village Hall.

Councilman Bob Lee asked McIntosh if his department explored the possibility of buying laptop computers instead of desktop models.

McIntosh said he shopped only for desktop computers, based on how village police officers use their computers inside the department.

“We really don’t need the portability of the laptops,” the chief said. “So desktops, actually for us, work better.”

• A purchase order to Newbury Technologies Corp., totaling $2,565, for replacement of village Mayor’s Court computers and a software upgrade.

“Those computers are also from 2011 and 2012, so they’re long past due to be replaced,” said McIntosh, whose department works closely with the Mayor’s Court.

McIntosh said the items listed in all three purchase orders were included in the village’s 2021 budget.