DAPHNE, Ala.— On July 18, the City Council voted 4-1 to approve a bid award for police vehicle equipment, with Councilmember John Lake abstaining from the vote.

The materials will be placed in the new Tahoe vehicles the department has purchased. The bid was awarded to Firehouse Sales and Service Inc. 

Lake questioned what specific equipment the bid was being awarded for, because the council packet did not clearly identify what was being purchased.

“There is a list of several items that are being considered here, in your packet to look at. It is not the cameras, it is cages, those kinds of things that will go into the vehicle,” Councilmember Derek Boulware said.

Councilman August Palumbo questioned  how much money the city was spending.

Councilmember Ron Scott said the city council has already approved the expenditure.

“This is just to award the bids that have already been let out. All this does is when they get ready to equip one of the Tahoes, what they can’t get from another police car, these are the individual items they will pick and choose from in order to equip the car,” Scott said.

The funds were already appropriated when the council approved the purchase of the vehicles. 

Lake said he wanted nothing to do with the new vehicles.

“I think this is a mistake, these vehicles. I think people when they see these vehicles are going to get upset … I don’t want to be associated with them. I think they are a mistake,” Lake said.