On Monday, July 27, Milford City Council approved a request from Chief Cecilia Ashe to purchase and equip one replacement vehicle along with three expansion vehicles which were approved as part of the FY27 Annual Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
“The replacement vehicle will replace the oldest vehicle within our fleet, which has over 117,000 miles,” Ashe said. “The purchase of the expansion vehicles is consistent with the fleet expansion plan. At this time, vehicles have been sourced and are ready for purchase from Hertrich of Milford.”
According to a memo provided by Ashe, the cost of the four vehicles is $345,969 and includes the purchase of the police vehicles, installation of equipment and markings. The department followed the city’s procurement process and all vehicles were purchased through the State of Delaware contracts.
The cost of the vehicles was $226,056 and equipment $119,913, leaving $1,533 available for unforeseen costs remaining in the budget. A review of the CIP approved by council earlier this year shows a request from the police for three expansion vehicles in 2027 and three in 2028 with an estimated cost in 2027 of $265,000 and $278,000 in 2028.
“One is coming out of our normal replacement line,” Ashe said. “The other three are for recruits that are getting ready to graduate their field training program to use as their take-home vehicles.”
Council approved the purchase unanimously.
In addition, Ashe explained that the department had applied for the federal Byrne grant.
“If council remembers, we had submitted in our five-year projection that we would need a resuce or SWAT vehicle which would cost around $400,000,” Ashe said. “This application would be used to supplement that and replace any city funds needed to purchase the vehicle with grant funds. The grant requires that we notify council that we have applied so this is just the official notification.”
In the CIP, there is a request for a Command Trailer, not a SWAT or rescue-style vehicle. The trailer is listed as a medium-high priority.
“The police department is requesting funding for the purchase of a Mobile Command Trailer to enhance emergency response capabilities, mobile communications capabilities, improve interagency coordination and strengthen public safety operations during critical incidents,” the CIP description of the trailer reads. “The police department currently lacks a dedicated mobile command platform capable of supporting large-scale incidents, prolonged operations, and multi-agency responses. During major events such as natural disasters, critical incidents, and search and rescue operations, personnel must rely on improvised setups that limit efficiency, communication, and operational effectiveness.” The CIP estimated cost is $211,000 and it was anticipated funding would be needed in 2028.
If the department is successful, the Byrne grant would cover the cost of the command center and would allow the department to seek a command vehicle rather than a trailer. The Byrne grant is a federal-managed grant created in the memory of Edward “Eddie” R. Byrne, an officer in the New York City Police Department who was murdered while protecting a witness in a drug case. The department has applied for the Byrne grant in the past and been successful.
No action needed to be taken as this was a notification to council that the department was applying for the grant.
