Atlanta police forced to use own money to get cruisers cleaned

Atlanta police officers must pay to have cruisers cleaned

Atlanta police officers want to know what is taking so long for City Hall to approve a new contract for a vendor to routinely sanitize officer's cruisers.

ATLANTA - An Atlanta city councilman says inaction on a contract to enable police officers to have a clean patrol car makes no sense, especially at a time of COVID-19 when cleanliness is a concern.

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Michael Bond has heard complaints from officers who say they must spend their own cash to take a cruiser to a car wash.

"I posted an article on my Facebook page indicating more officers die from COVID than being killed in the line of duty," Bond told a police commander during a meeting of the public safety panel .

Assistant chief Todd Coyt told the panel members the old car wash agreement expired. The department put forward a new proposal, but the paperwork is in the procurement office at city hall.

He added in the event of bodily fluids being spilled, and that happens more than one might think when suspects are being transported, there are two potential ways to handle that circumstance.

He said every zone has cleaning supplies or a deep cleaning company can be called.

Still, the officers are asking for routine maintenance to be started again. City officials provided no timeline when that may happen.

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