Bainbridge Police Fume Over Report Calling Patrol Boat Wasteful

The Bainbridge Island Police Department has a bone to pick with one of the most powerful men in Washington, D.C.

It all stems from Arizona Sen. John McCain's comments about stimulus money spent on upgrades to the community's police boat.

The Bainbridge Island Police Department recently won a $190,000 grant to upgrade some systems on the boat that caught the attention of Republican Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Arizona Senator John McCain.

"The list goes on and on, $190,000 for high-tech upgrades to a police boat for the Bainbridge Island Police Force," McCain said.

“The tranquil hamlet of Bainbridge Island, Washington, received $190,000 to upgrade a patrol boat for which it has little need -- while it considers downsizing its police force,” McCain's report says.

"For senators from Oklahoma and Arizona -- don't know if they ever set foot on Bainbridge Island -- I know they haven't been on this boat. For them to tell me that I am being wasteful..." said Jon Fehlman, the Bainbridge Island Police Chief.

Felman said that besides helping to protect the Port of Seattle -- just across Puget Sound -- the biggest reason his department applied for and won the $190,000 grant for equipment upgrades is because of Bainbridge Island's importance to Washington State Ferries.

"We want to put ourselves in between those commuters on the ferry, and the bad guys who mean to do them harm," said Lt. Bob Day of the Bainbridge Island Police Department.

Bainbridge sees 6.1 million passengers a year, or a quarter of the number of passengers in the entire state ferry system.

"Our character, and motivation get called into question when senators who are a little bit far removed from the problem and who don't really have a ground's eye view of what it is we do out here, decide to take what they call questionable spending, and use it for a political attack," Day said.

KIRO 7's Washington, D.C. Bureau tried to get an interview with Sen. McCain for a new response on what he said about the Bainbridge Island boat, but he declined.