Talk about a well-oiled machine! The Town’s Fleet Services department has such a great reputation for quality service that nearby municipalities Speedway, Pittsboro, and Whitestown send their police vehicles there to be serviced.
Shop foreman Aaron Starr literally wrote the book on how to install the technology needed to power today’s police cars. Building the wiring board he designed requires two days’ work. Once that is complete, it’s time to install the emergency lights, the radar detectors mounted to both the windshield and the rear window, the dash camera, the electronic lock to keep weapons secured on the gun rack, and the all-important dashboard computer to run plates and other vital tasks. Two weeks after they arrive on the shop floor, the cars are ready to hit the road.
“I feel like I’m helping out my community when I’m working on these cars,” said mechanic Kyle Gebauer, who joined the Town nearly seven years ago after working on semis. “This job is definitely less dirty and more rewarding,” he laughed.
But police cars aren’t the only vehicles you’ll find at the five-bay garage. Aaron and each of his three mechanics are specialists in areas including fabricating, welding, small engine repair and hydraulics. Staff work on everything from snowplows to weed eaters.
“I like working with my hands,” said mechanic Ryan Castelloux, who has been with the Town for two-and-a-half years. His job definitely keeps his hands busy: “We push a lot of vehicles through here every day.”
Joe Leisher, who joined the shop nine years ago, came from a job working on heavy machinery for Ford. He finds a lot of benefits at Fleet. “This job gives me the flexibility to spend time with my kids,” he said, pointing out he spent nine years shuttling his three kids back and forth as they competed on league softball and soccer teams. “The work changes every day. There’s always something a bit different to do. And we’ve got a really good set of guys here.”
For Aaron, who joined the shop right after graduating from Brownsburg High School, what he thought would be a short-term job has stretched into a 20-year career. He credits Chris Keers, the department’s superintendent, for creating a good working environment. “It all starts at the top.”
Executive Assistant Karen Patterson agrees. “Chris makes this environment very comfortable. There’s a lot of trust, and I think that’s really important in the work environment.”
Along with taking pride in doing work that helps others to be able to do their jobs, the crew keeps an eye out on protecting the environment whenever possible.
“We recycle what we can,” said Karen, who has been with the department for 11 years. “We try to be present with what we need to do for the environment.”
Chris, who has served as Superintendent for 28 years, reflects all the credit back on his team. “My guys are fixing other people’s problems so that they can get back to work. We truly help to keep this town moving.”
