The New Ipswich Select Board has approved a new cruiser for the Police Department and a computer for one of the existing cruisers.

On Nov. 12, the board took two votes on new equipment for the Police Department, approving $61,000 for a 2025 Police Interceptor cruiser, and $6,030 for a new tablet and mount for the police chief’s administrative car.

Police Chief Mike Abel spoke about the need to replace the department’s 2020 cruiser, calling it a persistent “problem child” with multiple issues, and said it is only used in emergency situations. Abel said the town’s cruiser capital reserve is about $160,000, well in excess of the estimated $61,000 quote to replace the cruiser.

The board unanimously voted in favor of using capital reserve funds to replace the cruiser.

The tablet and mount for the chief’s car will match the setup of two of the department’s existing cruisers. Abel said the department has about $2,500 left in the hardware budget, and a significant surplus due to staffing shortages to cover the remainder. He said in addition to their administrative uses, the computers are also useful for things like having a copy of the criminal code and maps during pursuits or searches. The board approved the purchase from the current budget.

The discussion of the use of cruiser tablets led to a larger conversation around the Police Department’s technology. In particular, Abel said the department’s process for inputting information from calls is far out of date compared to the available technology.

“Our technology is very far behind. We’re doing everything by hand,” Abel said.

Abel said that every interaction with the public, he has to write down the details of the people and vehicles he interacts with, and fill out the report with the information back at the station. Whereas, with currently available technology, it’s possible to get a Department of Motor Vehicles or a background history on a person, and use that information to fill the report on the current call.

“All of this could be done in real time at the stop,” Abel said.

Abel said that a new system was at the top of his request list for American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA funds, but wasn’t approved at that time. He said the estimated cost of the system, about two years ago, was $80,000.

Abel said hours are being spent transcribing the information, rather than having officers patrolling.

“The real goal is how do we keep our officers on the road,” Abel said, especially since the department is currently short-staffed, with four full-time officers where six are budgeted, and one of those officers is still undergoing field training. He said he has no full-time candidates prepared to take the next academy cycle in January and would at the earliest start their training in May, so they would not be ready to join the department until the fall of 2025.

Select Board Chair Shawn Talbot said the town has moved away from using budget surplus to fund unbudgeted items, but given the department’s current staffing and the inefficiencies of the current system, he would consider using the surplus from the empty staffing positions to fund a new system and transferring the current system’s data. He asked the other board members if that was an idea they were willing to entertain.

Selectman Jason Somero said the town had used surplus in order to complete Police Department renovations, after a public hearing, and said that might be the way to go. He said he saw long-term savings in the time saved by officers.

Talbot requested that Abel secure an updated quote and an estimate of the amount of funds remaining in his department budget for discussion at an upcoming board meeting.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.