Rincon Police Chief Mike Bohannon won city council approval Monday night to purchase and install new mobile data terminals in all 12 police cruisers.

Essentially small, rugged computers, the units will allow officers to complete their paperwork on traffic stops, arrests, etc. on the scene without having to spend time going back to the station to fill out the paperwork.

Chief Bohannon said that paperwork is the most time-consuming part of an officer’s duty. They had originally considered purchasing four of the units, but upon learning that $314,000 of uncommitted special purpose local option sales tax money was available that could only be used for the police department, council voted to approve the purchase of 12 units, one for each patrol car. The units will cost $41,629.

Bohannon said each unit comes with a printer and is the same unit used by the Georgia State Patrol and the GBI. He also said the units would allow their department to interface with the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office in the future.

In other council action, the police chief received approval to dispose of 28 bicycles and 43 firearms that had been filed as lost and condemned property. In addition to a quantity of narcotics, $1,200 in cash also was included in the disposed property.

The cash was deposited into the condemned property line item in the budget and the drugs will be destroyed. The firearms will be sold through a licensed dealer and the chief said the money from the weapons could be used to purchase ammunition for the department. The council recommended giving the bikes away to local churches or other charitable agencies who could make sure they get new homes with children in the area would could benefit from them.

Council asked that any organizations interested in helping to find new homes for the bikes contact the Rincon Police Department.