Slatington Borough Council approved the purchase of a 2021 Dodge Charger from Chapman auto dealer for $41,230.06.

The vehicle will be purchased in three payments of $14,680.35. The first payment is due when the vehicle is ordered, followed by two more payments over two years, Stevens said. The total cost with financing is $44,041.05.

Stevens said the borough rotates out aging vehicles every three years by entering into a new three-year purchase plan after the previous one is paid off.

The financing doesn’t add much to the total price, but it enables the borough to get new vehicles.

The vehicles are too expensive to buy outright.

He said the actual cost of the car is $28,295, but outfitting the car for police work adds more than $12,000 to the price.

Police Chief David Rachman said there are several features involved in the outfitting. For example, the backseat will be a seamless plastic section with automatic seat belts and better interior lighting.

“You can just hose it out,” he said, if the person being arrested gets sick in the squad car or makes another type of mess.

The seamless section also means that an alleged perpetrator cannot hide anything between the cushions or under the seat. And the seat belt will latch automatically, so the officer doesn’t have to reach across the person to put a seat belt on him or her.