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LaFayette city council named Christopher Trice as the interim chief of the LaFayette Police Department. 

At Wednesday night’s council meeting the council unanimously named Trice to talk over for former police chief, George Rampey, while a committee interviews Rampey’s replacement. The search for the new chief will start after Rampey’s retirement. Rampey retires on March 1, when Trice will assume the role. 

The police committee, led by councilmember Tammie Williams, asked to allow for a separate committee to conduct interviews for the chief position. Instead, the committee consists of law enforcement officers.

“The police committee will not have any hand in the selection of our new chief, we are going to create a meeting with free with previous and current police chiefs,” Williams said.

She added that there will be three chiefs who will be responsible for going through applications, conducting interviews, and eventually recommending a candidate to the council. The council will then vote on hiring the recommended candidate.

Trice was present at the meeting and presented a resolution to the council on exchanging surplus items in the police department. Trice said the department is trying to trade out their current firearms for newer versions. The LPD will trade 22 pistols and 30 holsters for 13 glock, 45 nine millimeters, and 8 holsters. The trade-in value is $6,819, the trade will allow the LPD to get the firearms and holsters in exchange for their guns and holsters. The only cost for the city is the ammunition for the new firearms. The resolution was adopted, and the exchange was approved.

Trice also discussed the purchase of new vehicles for LPD. The assistant police chief of Jacksonville, Alabama reached out to the LPD with the opportunity to buy three of their Chevy Tahoe vehicles. There are two marked 2020 Tahoes that cost $40,000 each and come fully equipped with 46,000 miles. The third vehicle is a 2021 Tahoe that is unmarked with 50,000 miles and will cost $43,000. 

“Chevy is probably the best car we’ve had in a while,” Trice said. 

The marked vehicles would have to be remarked, as they currently have Jacksonville PD decals. However, Trice said that LPD could do the scraping off of the decals to save some of the money it would cost to get LaFayette PD markings. Trice didn’t have a quote on what it would cost to mark the vehicles but said it would likely be around $800 to $1000.

“In the new budget that was proposed for two vehicles, and they were going to cost a whole lot more than what we’re looking at right here,” said council chairman Terry Mangram. “I think that it would be a very wise decision for us to make a purchase on these three vehicles.”

The council members wanted to move quickly on the deal, adding a resolution to the agenda to approve the purchase, which passed unanimously.