Martin Police Department

LEGAL NOTICE / INVITATION TO BID
The City of Martin Police Department will be accepting bids for the general maintenance and repair of vehicles owned and operated by the Martin Police Department.
Bid submittal packets may be picked up in person at the Martin Police Department, 732 North Lindell Street, Martin, Tennessee, or obtained online at www.martinpolicedept.org, beginning March 10, 2026, at 8:00 a.m.
Sealed bids will be accepted until the time of opening at 10:00 a.m. on April 7, 2026. Bids will be opened at the Martin Police Department, 732 North Lindell Street, Martin, Tennessee.
The City of Martin Police Department reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

For many years, MPD has been performing free routine vehicle unlocks. Unfortunately, as of February 1, 2026, we will be discontinuing this program. I would like to take a moment to explain why. Please pardon the lengthy post.
1. Years ago, vehicles were simple. No air bags, no electric seat controls in the door panels, etc. There was not much chance of causing damage to the vehicle with an unlocking tool. That is no longer the case and the potential for officers to damage expensive vehicle components has increased significantly. The addition of side curtain airbags in vehicles has created a new concern as well. Potentially, a side curtain airbag accidentally deployed by an unlocking tool can cause injury to the officer operating the tool.
2. It has been our practice in the past that if we caused damage to a vehicle and the owner requested it, we paid for the repairs. When this program began, those repairs were $50-100 per incident. Now, these repairs have ranged from $300-1000 per incident. We can no longer afford to take the risk of having to pay for repairs. Luckily, we have never accidentally deployed an airbag. As mentioned, this is not only dangerous but would cost several thousand dollars to repair.
3. Over the years, our number of calls to service have increased substantially. Our dispatchers have also had dispatching for the City of Martin Ambulance Service added to their plate. In 2025, MPD unlocked almost 500 vehicles. Officers average 17 minutes at each one of these calls, and our dispatch center had to answer all of those requests while trying to answer all other non-emergency and emergency calls.
4. We have at least 2 licensed/bonded wrecker services within the Martin city limits that provide these services, and we are taking money from their businesses by doing this service for free.
5. Our liability insurance policy does not cover this service specifically.

After careful consideration, these are the most important reasons that we are discontinuing this service. We are honestly sad to a degree for the positive community encounters that we will miss, but we believe that this is a necessary move. If you need a vehicle unlocked after February 1st, you need to call a wrecker service directly and not MPD.

Alpha Towing & Recovery – (731)697-3850 or Pearce Truck & Auto, LLC – (731)587-2386 are both inside the city limits of Martin.

Note: We will continue to perform EMERGENCY vehicle unlocks. These will include: a child or an incapacitated person locked inside a vehicle or pets locked inside a vehicle during extremely hot weather.

Thank you,
Phillip Fuqua
Chief of Police

Officers found 2 pairs of children’s insulated bib overalls in the road on North Lindell Street a few minutes ago. If they are yours and you can describe them, they are at MPD for you to pick up. We don’t want 2 little folks to be cold!!! (731)587-5355.