Redkey police get truck back (5/28/04)

REDKEY — Police will once again be patrolling in a four-wheel-drive pick-up truck here.

Also during the winter months, the Redkey police will be expected to use the truck to help with community snow plowing when possible.

The truck, already owned by the town, has a snow plow blade attachment. For the past year, it has been used by Violet Erlenbush, who is town council president and superintendent of the community’s wastewater treatment department.

At a special meeting Thursday afternoon, the Redkey council approved a proposal to transfer the four-wheel drive, extended cab, pick-up truck back to the police department, use a one-year-old Dodge Intrepid squad car for a trade-in, and then purchase a smaller Ford Ranger pick-up truck for Erlenbush to use in her department.

As a result of discounts received and the trade-in credit, the town will be required to pay $3,000 extra for the Ford Ranger from Fincannon Ford of Hartford City, Erlenbush said. This $3,000 will come from the police department budget, she added.

The four-wheel drive truck was originally purchased for use as a police vehicle when Rick Current was the marshal a few years ago, before his temporary retirement. His successor Brenda Collett used the truck for a while, but then decided that a traditional police car was more to her liking. At her request, the town council voted to purchase the Dodge Intrepid and transfer the four-wheel-drive truck to the wastewater treatment department.

However, earlier this year, Current was named marshal once again, and Erlenbush reported Thursday that Current had asked to have the truck transferred back to the police department.

Erlenbush said Current also pointed out that Collett’s former squad car was not very comfortable for him, as he is quite a bit taller than her.

Erlenbush said that due to the truck’s four-wheel drive capacity, it could also prove helpful in emergency situations where police are required to go off-road or through heavy snow. Current also serves as a member of the Redkey Volunteer Fire Department, and Erlenbush said the truck might prove useful in opening a path for an ambulance to respond to a medical emergency call in snowy weather.

“(Current) originally ordered the truck; he picked it out; he deserves to have it back,” Erlenbush said Thursday.

Although no longer town marshal, Collett is still a member of the Redkey council, but she was not present at Thursday’s special meeting.

In other business at the meeting, council members:

•Directed clerk-treasurer Brenda Adkins to look into the possibility of having the town participate in the Public Employee Retirement Fund (PERF) program to offer pension benefits to town employees.

•Agreed to split the cost of $50 a month to hire a part-time cleaning person for the town hall between the clerk’s office and police department. The council agreed to hire local resident Patty Golder to do routine cleaning once a week.

•Authorized Erlenbush to investigate the purchase of T-shirts for town employees to wear as uniforms which would have “Town of Redkey” written on them.[[In-content Ad]]