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The Board of Mayor and Alderman passed a resolution that would allow for the funding of 10 proposed projects, including the obtaining of nine patrol or School Resource Officer (SRO) SUVs amounting to $540,000.

They did so following the protests of Alderman Jenna Amacher, who “play[ed] devil’s advocate” regarding the purchase of the vehicles.

Resolution No. 1946, “A resolution of the BoMA repealing Resolution No. 1930 and replacing in its entirety a new resolution adopting a spending plan for American Rescue Plan Act funds for the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 for the City of Tullahoma, Tennessee,” outlined several different projects including North Jackson Streetscape Plan Improvements, Stormwater Projects, the replacement of a rear loading garbage truck, restrooms and parking on Johnson Lane, Fire SCBA replacement units, a fire truck replacement, a new residential garbage truck and a TACH Radio System for police, fire and public works along with the purchase of police vehicles.

Amacher asked why the number of vehicles was so high, and City Finance Director Sue Wilson answered that two of the vehicles are replacements, and the seven others are for the additional officers established through the SROs.

“We’ve hired six new people so far,” said Interim City Director Kenneth Pearson.

“Do we currently have vehicles for those individuals?” asked Amacher.

“No,” responded Pearson, “They’re driving their own vehicles.”

“What is the need?” Amacher questioned.

She couldn’t see why officers protecting the city’s public schools needed fully equipped vehicles.

“Seven’s a lot,” she said to Pearson, “and considering all of the infrastructure needs we have–I’m just going to be honest with you, we’ve got some issues in our police department right now. Y’all can disagree with me, whatever. We’ve got some training issues, we’ve got some things that need to be corrected. We’ve got some rapport that needs to be built.”

She added that in her opinion, departments should be funded through “merit-based practices,” and again stated that she didn’t see the need for seven SRO vehicles.

“If somebody can show me the need,” she said, “I’m all game. I’m there if it’s something we need and it’s for safety and for the kids.”

She suggested that the vehicles are “for the cops to look good on school campuses.”

Pearson clarified that the SROs would also be employed full-time by the police department, emphasizing their need for the vehicles. He and Amacher went back and forth, before Alderman Derick Mann requested time to speak.

“Thank you, Mr. Mayor,” he said, “I’m not trying to call anyone out here. We want to sit up here and we want to say the police don’t need this, the police don’t need that. But how many, and have I the answer to this, have met with our police chief and went and looked at those vehicles and have said ‘Why do we need to ask those questions?’ Ask the people that are asking for it. Talk to them. I talked to the police chief and he said that in his–I think he’s been around for four years–he’s spoken with two aldermen in all that time.”

He reiterated the need to communicate with department heads when Amacher interrupted him, asking “Where’s the police chief tonight?”

“No, excuse me,” Mann interjected, “It’s my time.” She attempted to interrupt a second time, but was cut off by Mann who said, “No, one second. Nope,” before continuing his point.

He said the police chief showed him all of the vehicles and “I encourage everyone else to do the same,” he encouraged the board.

“Did you know why most police departments across this country are switching to SUVs from police cars?” He asked.

“In fact, there’s only one car manufacturer that still makes police cars,” said Mann, “Everyone’s switching to SUVs because one of the number one injuries a police officer has is to their lower back, getting in and out of the car with all that equipment. An SUV would mitigate that. We can’t sit up here and just say ‘Nope, you don’t get it,’ we should do our homework.”

Alderman Daniel Berry was the next to speak.

“Well, Alderman Mann crushed it,” said Berry, “I don’t have much more to say outside of I agree. Until you’ve been down there and you have seen the vehicles and talked to the officers–you know, I have had an officer who was in trouble and other officers trying to get to that officer and they hopped into their vehicle and the vehicle didn’t go. So that put a citizen’s life at risk, that put an officer’s life at risk.”

He ended by saying that Mann said everything that needed to be said and “I think we should vote on this and be done.”

Amacher said she had dinner with “a couple of our officers here recently, and I have asked those various questions,” and continued to push her point.

“It’s not my job to seek out the police chief when he wants 10 new vehicles,” she said, “It’s his job to seek me out and tell me why he needs new vehicles, or have the city administrator come plead this case.”

She continued to say “one of the most common complaints I get is the money that we have spent on building this police department, because the average citizen will never see the inside of that building, yet here we come back again and we want, you know, 10, 15 new vehicles every year and we gotta have nine brand new ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ because her, nobody’s going to want to come be a cop in Tullahoma.”

“When we all decided SROs were a good thing,” said Mann, “folks came, they talked to us, everyone on this board thought we needed SROs. It was the right decision at the right time. And we were fortunate that the state of Tennessee stepped in and helped us out with that. Now, what we’re being asked to do by the police department is to provide them with vehicles.”

He emphasized that the entire board wanted SROs, “but now we want to stop short on this.”

The vote was finally motioned by Berry and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Mathis, before passing six to one. Amacher was the only nay.