Bolivar police to add 7 new SUVs to fleet

BOLIVAR, Tenn. — The Bolivar Police Department will add seven new cruisers to its fleet. Officers said the new SUVs will help keep streets safe and save the city money.

“This is the camera system,” Capt. Eddie Henson with the Bolivar Police Department said.

Henson showed off the department’s newest patrol unit Tuesday. They recently won the ride during a law enforcement challenge sponsored by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office.

“It has cameras that face the rear,” he said. “It has cameras that face the front.”

Bolivar Police Chief Pat Baker said the department also recently purchased six brand new explorers at no cost to taxpayers. He said funding comes from things like drug busts and seizers, some made possible through grants from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office.

“If you’re caught DUI and you meet the criteria, we seize your vehicle,” Baker said. “That vehicle is subsequently sold. That money buys our cars.”

Baker said the six new SUVs purchased by the department cost about $34,000 each.

Baker said the new units help keep the streets safe plus cut down on maintenance costs. “With a new car we get it on the street,” he said. “It’s under warranty. We get it fixed, then again we save the city money.”

Henson said the SUV he won comes equipped with a laptop, WiFi connection plus two video camera systems. “It will be put on the street and put in full patrol use,” he said. “It’s not going to be a parade car.”

Baker said the six SUVs they purchased should arrive next week.

Baker said grants from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office pay for things like DUI saturation and roadblocks. He said they have logged more than 300 man hours and checked 2,692 cars since November 2016.