SWARTZ CREEK — The Swartz Creek Police Department has been making significant upgrades to its fleet of cars.

Foremost, a 2009 Dodge Charger, which previously had been a patrol car, is being turned into the department’s new K-9 vehicle.

The Police Department hired Great Lakes Emergency Products, a Linden company, and a company from Saginaw to install new equipment on the 2009 Charger as well as remove equipment from the old K-9 vehicle and retro fit the old equipment, including the dog cage, into the new car.

The total cost for the build up of the new K-9 vehicle was $3,215.25, in which the bulk of the cost at $1,347.50 was adding a new light bar to the vehicle. The Police Department also paid $550 to remove equipment from the old K-9 car.

The cost of this work will be paid for by funds donated to the K-9 program by the local community.

Since 2007, the Police Department has received over $24,000 in donations for support of the K-9 program, including a recent donation of $1,700 by the GFWC Swartz Creek Women’s Club.

Further, a new 2012 Dodge Charger, which was purchased in February of 2012, will be placed into the patrol slot. The Police Department also hired Great Lakes Emergency Products to build up the equipment on the new Charger patrol car.

The build up of the new patrol car cost $5,210.98 and includes the purchase of a new overhead light bar, a new push bumper, a new siren speaker, a trunk mounting station, a computer mounting station and a center sliding prisoner partition.

Swartz Creek Police Department Police Chief Rick Clolinger said the new K-9 vehicle and the new Dodge Charger patrol car should be on the road by this week.

Finally, the old K-9 vehicle, which is a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria and has over 112,000 miles, will be placed on Bidcorp.com for auction. The old K-9 vehicle, which was purchased in 2005, had safety concerns.

“It’s just flat wore out,” Clolinger said. “It’s at the end of its life.”

Clolinger added that he expects the 2005 Ford Crown Victoria to fetch about $2,500 to $3,000 at auction. He said there are people out there who like to buy old police cars.

In addition to the 2005 Crown Victoria, the Police Department will also auction a variety of miscellaneous items on Bidcorp.com, including old police vehicle equipment, prisoner partitions, seats, light bars, mounts, office desks and out-dated computer equipment.

The Swartz Creek City Council approved the equipment work on the new K-9 vehicle and the 2012 Dodge Charger patrol car at the last city council meeting on August 13. The City Council also approved the auction of the police items on Bidcorp.com.

The Swartz Creek Police Department currently has four patrol cars and two administrative vehicles in its fleet.