PONDERAY — The Ponderay Police Department took center stage at the City Council’s Feb. 17 meeting, announcing it had acquired a slew of new equipment from the Idaho State Police for free. 

Police Chief Joesph Kaufman commended Officer Scott Boekenoogen for landing the equipment, which included 10 tasers and two BEE III radars, from the ISP warehouse. Kaufman said that he believes the new equipment saved the department between $24,000 and $30,000. 

“Not only were we able to replace our taser, but she also gave us some extra ones,” Kaufman said of the ISP storekeeper. “We secured 10 tasers, extra cartridges, batteries at no cost to us, so I’m hoping that will get us through the next few years.” 

Kaufman said that the department’s taser situation was a significant concern of his when he took over as chief. He said the force’s current tasers were aging, and it was becoming difficult to find replacement parts. 

“I looked at options on how to replace them, and I figured it would cost us anywhere from $18,000 to $30,000 to replace the ones they have,” Kaufman said. “I even looked into leasing them through Taser and a department our size is still going to cost like $2,000 for five years.” 

In addition to the acquisition of new equipment, the council passed a resolution that would declare property that the department was no longer able to use as a surplus. The vast majority of the items declared were expired ballistic panels, some dating back to as old as 1997. 

“When I had some downtime, I put things in a pile that probably should have gone years ago,” Kaufman said. “So, it's just kind of driving me bonkers, and I want to get rid of some of it.” 

The council also unanimously approved an application for the BUILD grant that was created by Welch Comer. 

The Ponderay City Council is scheduled to meet again March 2 at 5:30 p.m. in City Council chambers.