Jackson Police Getting New Police Cars, Helicopter
JACKSON, Tenn.–Jackson city council members approved about $1 million in funding that will pay for 25 new cars for the Jackson Police Department. “A lot of these cars are running everyday at least two shifts, sometimes could run as many as three shifts,” said Chief Gill Kendrick. “That’s where they respond to the needs of our community and we definitely need those vehicles to be in the best shape we can literally provide for our personnel as they’re out there doing their job.” Kendrick said three of the new police cars will be propane powered. He hoped the alternative fuel cars save the city money. “I wanna say what it equates to is just about a little over $2 a gallon we’d actually be spending for propane, where now we’re spending close to $3 for gasoline,” said Kendrick. The police department also recently received a helicopter free of charge, courtesy of the United States Department of Defense. The city budgeted about $200,000 to keep it operational. “We’re in the process now of finalizing repairs on it and making sure that it’s airworthy,” said Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist. Kendrick said the helicopter sometimes beats officers to calls. “I’ve heard some people compare that having a helicopter is like having 10 extra officers,” he said. Kendrick has not ordered the new cars yet, but expected the helicopter to be ready in the next month or so. The helicopter came from the Hawkins County Sheriff‘s Office. Kendrick said that department did not use it very often.
