Rundown police vehicles an embarrassment in Gary, Indiana
GARY, Ind. -- Some police officers are reportedly leaving the Gary police force because of low wages and shoddy equipment, and according to CBS Chicago, some residents are calling the condition of the police cars embarrassing.
One picture in particular of a Gary police vehicle is gaining attention. The photo, which shows a police car with rust, patchy spots, dents and balding tires, is circulating on Facebook, according to the station.
The radio in the car barely works, and the vehicle reported has over 116,000 miles on it, no air conditioning, and the passenger side window sometimes gets stuck.
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson says the city is aware of the issues and are working on them.
"We can't just give them a raise with the waive of a hand," Freeman-Wilson said, according to the station.
Denise Cather's fiance was a Gary police officer who was shot and killed in his patrol car in July of last year, just days before the couple was due to get married.
She says she's angry at the mayor and the way the city treats its officers.
"How she doesn't expect them to hang their heads when they are driving around cars like that," Cather said. She also claimed that city firemen "duct tape their hoses together."
Freeman-Wilson tells the station the city knows officers deserve a raise, they are just trying to find the money.