RCPD gains officer, opts to buy patrol car

ROYAL CITY — Royal City got a new police officer Tuesday evening and will be getting another patrol vehicle as well.

Officer Hanna Soelter was sworn in at the Royal City City Council meeting Tuesday by Mayor Kent Anderson. Soelter spent three weeks starting in late July in training with the Moses Lake Police Department, then spent another three weeks with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Royal City Police Chief Rey Rodriguez said at the meeting. She’s spent the last two weeks riding with Rodriguez, he said, and will do so for about three more before going on patrol on her own.

“She's doing very well,” Rodriguez said. “I'm just kind of riding along and guiding her. She's very up-to-date with her revised codes, her laws (and) procedures. So (she’s) just getting the experience out there.”

Rodriguez also brought up the possibility of buying a patrol car, a 2017 Dodge Charger, from the Soap Lake Police Department. The council, at its July 20 meeting, had discussed buying the car for $35,000, or else entering into a rental agreement until a new vehicle was delivered. The council passed up the opportunity at the time, as the Ford Explorer that had been ordered from the state was due to arrive this month. Circumstances have changed since then, Rodriguez said.

“Last week, I got a cancellation for all 2022 orders. So our order for our patrol car has been cut. I have to put in a new order for 2023 for a patrol vehicle. I called up Chief Cox again today from Soap Lake and asked him about possibly renting. He said his mayor is probably not going to be up to that, but he did possibly drop the price of the Charger.”

The City of Soap Lake is now willing to accept $30,000 for the vehicle, Rodriguez said. The unmarked car will have all the necessary police equipment: lights, sirens, hard plastic rear seats and so forth. The only thing SLPD will retain is the radio, which is a kind Royal City doesn’t use anyway. RCPD already has a radio on order for the Explorer, which now might arrive next summer at the earliest, and more likely in September or October 2023, Rodriguez said.

Anderson was a little skeptical about buying a used vehicle.

“My only concern is we really didn't have that good of luck with our other Chargers,” he said. “But I think if we use this right ... and you're not going you know 100 and hitting the brakes and doing all that stuff, it would probably be better. I mean, by the time you get a new car and you put in all that stuff, you're really at about $80,000, and so it's probably not that bad of investment to go $30,000.”

The council voted unanimously to purchase the Charger.

Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.