Du Quoin getting $32,000 squad car for $23,307; odometer doesn't even work on car being replaced

When the Du Quoin City Council authorized the purchase of a new squad car at Monday's meeting it got back on track in trying to replace one car a year in the department.

The cost of repairs on a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria are outweighing the investment in the new car. That car has so many issues, the odometer doesn't even work on the car. Next in line will be the replacement of a 2003 Chevrolet Impala with 120,000 miles on it.

Chief of Police Jamie Ellermeyer said the city has found value in using the state's low bid procurement program to buy the new car. The new Dodge Charger with a fuel-saving hemi engine in it is valued at $32,000, but will be purchased for $23,307 from Thomas Chrysler of Highland, Ind.

Ellermeyer said he tracks use and mileage on the department's 11 full-time cars and two part-time back-up vehicles. "We have a strict program that monitors their use every quarter."

Officers are on a rotation to get replacement cars.