PARIS – A bidding process for a new police cruiser will be opened and closed in as little as two weeks, according to town officials.

On Monday, the Paris Board of Selectmen directed Town Manager Steve McAllister to have the cruiser bids ready by an Oct. 11 meeting.

“It’s going to be difficult to advertise properly and have it back for the next meeting,” McAllister said, but he agreed to the task.

Police Chief David Verrier stressed the need for a new car. The department has been down one vehicle since Sept. 18, when part-time Patrolman Anthony Keach was involved in an accident. The 2004 Ford Crown Victoria cruiser he was driving was declared a total loss by the town’s insurance agency, Verrier said Monday.

The Police Department has a spare car that is used by the school resource officer, Verrier said, but it has “100-and-some-odd thousand miles on it.”

“I don’t want to wait another six months,” he said, urging the board to find a vehicle quickly.

Verrier reported that a dealership in Augusta had a 2004 Crown Victoria on its lot for $21,690.

The town will receive $18,745 from the insurance company for the totaled cruiser, Verrier said.

Selectman Gerald Kilgore said the board has to go through a bidding process, despite the immediate need for a new car.

McAllister agreed.

“I think that to treat the taxpayers fairly and do due diligence, we have to go out to bid,” he said.