Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson expects to use his department’s share of $500,000 from the fiscal 2016 general fund budget to buy new police cars, some body cameras and, possibly, a night-vision monocular to help find lost people.

Meanwhile, the city’s Information Technology Department will use $78,000 of its share to upgrade the security-camera system at the Police Department on East Hobbs Street.

City Council members in December 2016 approved a fiscal 2016 budget amendment that allowed the $500,000 to be used for capital expenditures.

On Monday, the council agreed to earmark that money for the police; fire; streets; information technology; and cemetery, parks and recreation departments, said City Clerk Annette Barnes-Threet.

The money was divided in the following amounts:

Police Department — $215,000;

Fire Department — $40,000;

Street Department — $75,000;

Information Technology — $95,000; and

Cemetery, Parks and Recreation — $75,000.

Johnson told The News Courier his department will try to buy five or six new police cars to replace aging vehicles.

The vehicles will be bought off the state bid list, which results in a lower price for the city.

“We will first look at the police cars and the equipment for them,” Johnson said. “Once we get the numbers on that, we may look at buying some body camera replacements.”

A Police Department, like ever other city department, must perpetually replace aging equipment.

Johnson could not estimate how much each car would cost because he has not yet settled on what make and model of cars to buy. Last round, they bought Dodge Chargers.

Equipping each car with striping, light bar, siren, spotlight and other equipment costs about $6,200 per vehicle, he said.

He said he may have everything pinned down for the March 20 City Council meeting.

Once the heads of each department determine how they will spend the money, they must obtain council approval to buy those items, even though spending the $500,000 has been approved, Barnes-Threet said.

Other items

As for the Police Department’s security system, Johnson said the one installed when the new station opened in 2006 can no longer be repaired.

He said the new digital system will give officers and dispatchers a clearer, wider and zoomable view of areas both outside and inside the building, including in the booking room where the arrested are processed.

The security system will also record what it sees, which makes an area like booking safer for officers because the viewer can see what is going on and anyone being booked in.

“These cameras could also make it possible for people wanting to make hand to hand trades to do that at the station,” Johnson said. “I had been holding off with allowing that until we could get a better outside camera.”

If there is money remaining after everything else, Johnson said he may buy one night-vision monocular, which could be used to find lost children or adults in the dark.