For safety’s sake: New firearms, Tahoe to be purchased for Hamilton Police Department

HAMILTON — The Hamilton City Council approved two police department related matters at its Monday, March 16, meeting. Twenty new firearms will be purchased for the Hamilton Police Department, as well as a new Tahoe.
HPD Chief Jordan Carter explained more about the purchases, as well as the need to rotate out older vehicles and firearms for safety and reliability.
He noted since 2015, HPD has tried to purchase two police vehicles each year to rotate out its older vehicles and keep its fleet in good shape. He explained issues can arise once patrol vehicles get more than 100,000 miles on them.
He mentioned when he came over as chief in 2023, two new vehicles were purchased and equipped, with two older vehicles being declared as surplus and sold on GovDeals.
He said in 2024, one police vehicle was purchased, with the other budgeted funds being used to upgrade the department’s radio infrastructure. That year, they also re-purposed a K-9 vehicle using opioid settlement money.