INDIANAPOLIS --
The town marshal of a small Grant County community is apologizing after a police car, complete with working lights and sirens, ended up for sale to the public. 6News' Jack Rinehart spotted the marked police car for sale for $4,000 at the Pendleton Pike Auto Sales in McCordsville.
It was later determined that the 11-year-old cruiser had come from the Sweetser Police Department.
"It should have never left that agency that owned the vehicle to start with with the word police on it and the light bar," said Indianapolis police Deputy Chief Mike Bates. "Unfortunately, I don't know that a lot of the folks that purchase those vehicles follow that law."
Sweetser Town Marshall Chris Tarlton told Rinehart that the vehicle was traded in at a Noblesville car dealership but said he didn't know how it ended up in McCordsville.
Tarlton said it appeared someone had dropped the ball and said he would visit the lot Thursday to make sure all police decals, light bar and siren are removed.
State statue requires car lots that sell former police cruisers remove all police insignia. Those who sell two-toned sheriff's cars are required to present the buyer with a copy of the law that states the vehicle must be painted one color before it's driven on a public highway.
6News found some car lot owners who were unaware of the law.
"We have to take the insignias off the side, which is what we've done, but the colors can remain the same," said Norman Line, who owns Affordable Motors in Lebanon. "They drive them with these colors so, I don't know. I'll have to check into it."
Bates said more education is needed to ensure those who sell old police cars understand the law.
"That's always a public safety issue anytime you have individuals who purchase these cars and want to be the police and pull people over," he said. "It's a huge and dangerous issue that we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis."
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