Linn aldermen on March 19 approved the purchase of a 2021 Ford Explorer from the Missouri Highway Patrol for $31,900.

Linn Police Chief Sam Ford requested the purchase of another vehicle immediately to replace the Linn Police Department’s Dodge Charger that has been found to need major repairs.

Ford also presented the Board of Aldermen with the option to purchase a new Ford Explorer from Joe Machens Ford in Columbia for $44,000 or a new Tahoe at Jim Butler in Linn for $52,000. Neither of the new vehicles come equipped with lights and sirens and that would be an added expense. The used Ford Explorer from the Missouri State Highway Patrol already has these features installed.

“Basically, what I have been discussing with Chief Ford is that we need $5,200 to fix the Charger,” Mayor Dwight Massey said. “I personally think that is exuberant, but it is because of the all-wheel drive. If it were repaired the car’s value would be $6,000 to $7,000.”

Ford added that the Charger had a lot of miles on it and is the oldest car still in service in the department.

Ford has talked to another police department that is wanting to purchase the Charger because they are wanting to start up a canine unit. He believes he could get between $2,500 to $3,000 for the car without making any repairs.

“We’re not going to get that anywhere else,” Ford added.

Massey said that Ford would need to have the offer approved by the Board of Aldermen before it was accepted.

Ford added that before the Charger came up with the costly problems, he had wanted to ask aldermen to consider adding two additional officers and three vehicles into the budget for the new fiscal year as a direct result of the recent annex.

“By my estimation we’ve more than doubled our size as far as population,” Ford said. “We have an exceeding number of calls at student housing already. These are calls, and I’ll be very blunt, that are not safe for one officer to respond to.”

Ford explained that domestic violence calls are the most dangerous calls for police officers to respond to because of their unpredictable nature.

“We are sending our officers out in the middle of the night to go on these calls, and it is unsafe,” Ford said. “I try to ease into these conversations as a rule, but this is absolutely a public safety and officer safety issue. We’ve taken on a huge responsibility with this annexation. We’re excited about it and my officers are embracing it, but I’ve also had them come to me when they are getting called to parties where there are 50 to 100 students in a parking lot and one officer. Not that two police officers in that situation are much help but at least it is someone to watch your back.”

Ford said he is always in close contact with Osage County Sherrif Mike Bonham and that they are always there to help but sometimes they are on the other side of the county when a call comes in.

“We’re responding to fights in progress or domestic violence incidents in progress and we have two choices, we stop at the corner and wait for them, which is really not an option, or we go in there by ourselves,” Ford explained. “I need you to understand the gravity of the situation.”

Ford would like the city to consider purchasing two new vehicles for the department in the next fiscal year.

“It comes down to what we see in the future, it would be great if we could get in a rotation where we were getting rid of cars every three years while they were still under warranty and they still have a good trade-in value,” Ford said. “I will tell you from years of experience that takes a long time to put in place.”

Ford said that he thought the city should consider a lease program that, while it would cost the city the same amount of money in total, it would spread the amount over several years. Ford is specifically looking to purchase vehicles that are switchable from all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive to two-wheel drive to save on wear and tear.

“I think we do need dependable vehicles that can get around in the snow and ice,” Ford said. Ford said that both the Ford Explorer and the Chevy Tahoe handled well in the recent ice storm.

The aldermen also approved putting the two out-of-commission Chevy Malibus on govdeals.com so they can be sold.

In other police department business, aldermen authorized the Linn Police Department to switch their report management system over to Omnigo ITI.

“I think it is beneficial not only for the efficiency but also fiscally,” Ford explained. “The new system will go through the cloud versus a virtual network, so all of the updates will be done through the cloud versus paying for updates for hardware and software.”

The new service will cost $4,424.95 annually versus the current system which cost $7,360.51 a year. Originally the cost was paid out of a specific grant but when that grant was used up the cost has been increasing $300 per month. Ford will give the required 90-day notice as required by contract and start the process of setting up the new system.

“It may take a while since they have to convert the existing system so that we can have access to our reports that are in the old system,” Ford explained. “The new company does not bill until we go live so we can put it off as long as possible to avoid any overlap.”

Ford is very familiar with the system since it is the one that he used when he was an officer at Osage Beach.

“I’ve got quite a bit of experience with this system,” Ford said. “It is very user friendly, and it is very much turnkey. I see nothing but good things coming from this.”

Massey expressed concern about the transition as the department moved from one system to the other.

“I have addressed that,” Ford said. “There will be no lapse in service. I’ve been guaranteed that. I know this system. This is who they are and what they do, and they are very good at it.”

Ford reported that he had attempted to gain entry to the house at 207 Benton Street.

“When I attempted an inspection of this home, as the building inspector for the city, I represented myself and they denied me entry,” Ford said. “As I was talking to the homeowner at his front door, I could see daylight at the back of the house. That is how far deteriorated this house has gotten.”

Aldermen Steve Boeckmann asked Ford to explain what he meant.

“I think there is a wall in the academic sense that was upright and made of wood, but it is now just a rotten hunk of black mold,” Ford explained. “It looks like huge chunks of the back wall were gone.”

Ford said that he did not believe the house had electricity.

Since Ford could not gain access to the house, he received permission from the neighbors to take photographs while staying off the posted property.

“The smell coming from the house was atrocious,” Ford said. “I can’t describe it. Public Works has reported that there are livestock living in the residence, in the form of goats and chickens. This house is completely unfit for inhabitation.”

Ford said that neighbors have reported that the resident of the house removes human waste from the dwelling by throwing it out the door by the shovel full.

Ford had James E. Braun of Braun Inspection Consultants with him when he tried to enter the property. Braun submitted a report to the Board of Aldermen and noted he was only making a visual inspection from a distance. Braun’s report reads “that the roof was obviously leaking due to shingle damage and that the structural integrity of the building was compromised.”

His recommendation was that the house should no longer be occupied.

Massey noted that the Board of Aldermen have been trying to do something about this particular property for five years. Ford reported that the police department had given the homeowners several notices to clean up the outside of the property.

“We just keep kicking the can down the road,” Massey said. “I am putting my foot down and saying enough is enough.”

Massey directed City Attorney Kent Brown to expediate legal action to condemn the property.

“I am putting together documentation,” Brown said.

Massey asked when the Board of Aldermen would have a report to review.

“I should have it within the next month,” Brown said. “It takes a lot to put this together and get the ordinances and notices all in line.”

Massey voiced his concern that the board would need to wait another month when there were serious health concerns regarding the house.

“It is a process,” Brown said.

Massey asked if there was anything else that could be done, or any other agency that could be contacted, to help expediate getting the individuals out of the house.

Brown did not think that there was any other agency that would make the process go faster.

Massey noted that the city had never condemned a house when the property owners would need to be removed from the residence.

Massey said that the residents had been approached numerous times to offer help and assistance and it had been turned down. When the city had tried to enforce existing ordinances, the requests were ignored.

“There are no real teeth in the ordinances in this town,” Massey said. “I can write them all day long and no one will abide by them. The house has continued to get worse and worse and at this point it is beyond repair. The council has brought this on itself because of its inaction.”

Massey again asked Brown to expediate the matter.

“I’m going as quickly as I can,” Brown said. “It’s hard to expediate especially when we can’t get in the house to inspect it.”

Massey looked at Ford and said that he had asked for a search warrant of the property.

“I spoke with Amanda Grellner,” Ford said. “She is in agreement with me that with nothing criminal going on, it is not possible to get a search warrant.”

Massey again voiced his frustration that it would be another month before anything could be done.

The Board of Aldermen approved paying $250 to Braun Inspection Consultants for the inspection and report.