The Streator City Council recently approved two police department purchases during its meeting last week, including a replacement vehicle and new laptops for all of their patrol cruisers.

Council approved the purchase of a used 2025 Ford Bronco Sport to replace the department’s aging community service vehicle, which has nearly 200,000 miles and is no longer reliable, Police Chief John Franklin said.

The vehicle will be used primarily by the department’s Community Service Officer, who handles administrative duties, transports paperwork to Ottawa and assists residents with vehicle lockouts.

Franklin said the vehicle replacement was included in the city’s budget and will cost just over $25,000, well below the $30,000 budgeted for the purchase. He also added that the four-cylinder Bronco will be more fuel-efficient for the officer’s daily travel.

Council also approved the purchase of 11 new laptops and nine docking stations for use in their patrol cars.

According to city documents, the new laptops will replace older Panasonic models that are no longer compatible with required software updates.

Franklin said the department relies heavily on the laptops on a daily basis, including writing reports and responding to calls. However, aging equipment can no longer support operating system updates and security patches.

“These things just become obsolete after a while,” Franklin said, adding that the new laptops are expected to last four to five years.