Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester in joint program to buy police cars
Nassau and Suffolk counties have joined Westchester County in purchasing more than 218 police vehicles under a new shared-services agreement aimed at saving money on county equipment and infrastructure.
"By collaborating for the first time on a major, major purchase, we are setting an example for how that kind of collaboration can lead to significant savings," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said at a news conference in White Plains on Thursday.
The three-way purchase agreement is estimated to save a total of $2 million, a spokesperson for Westchester County Executive George Latimer said. Westchester took the lead in putting the bids out for the vehicles.
Nassau County will get 119 vehicles, Suffolk will get 84 and Westchester will get 27. Not all of the vehicles will go to the county police departments; some are designated for various municipal police departments within the counties, officials said.
The vehicles will be marked and unmarked sedans and SUVs.
On Monday, Nassau County legislators unanimously approved an emergency spending package to replace part of the 200-vehicle county patrol car fleet. County Executive Laura Curran submitted the legislation after the head of the Nassau Police Benevolent Association, the county's largest police union, complained about aging and deteriorating cars.
Nassau primarily will receive 2020 Ford Police Interceptor SUVs, at an estimated 15 to 27 percent off the manufacturer's sticker price, a county spokeswoman said. Eighty-one vehicles will go to the county police department.
Curran, Bellone and Latimer, all Democrats, say they anticipate joining together for greater purchasing power in the future in an effort to save taxpayer money and address infrastructure needs.
Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.
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