|
It’s out with the old, in with new at Benton PD |
|
|
Tuesday, 16 June 2009 |
A new fleet of vehicles are expected to roll out from the Benton Police Department parking lot by July 4th.
Chief Kirk Lane said the new vehicles not only are more visibly pleasing, but they also will help both officers and the community.
Fourteen 3.5-liter, high output Dodge Chargers will replace nine patrol cars that have already been retired and two or three vehicles that are expected to retire soon, Lt. Kevin Russell said.
The Chargers will replace a few Ford Crown Victoria and Chevrolet Impala vehicles, some of which have been with the department more than 10 years.
“The Chargers also will get between 6 to 8 miles better gas mileage than the older cruisers,” Russell said. “They actually have smaller engines, but they are more powerful at the same time.”
Lane said this fact, along with a few other ideas within the department, could save money for Benton taxpayers. One of the new ideas is to have more vehicles take part in a “home storage” program.
“Right now a lot of the vehicles are being shared between officers and that keeps the vehicles constantly running and out on the streets all day long,” Lane said. “We found that if officers take them home, they take better care of them and the maintenance costs reduce significantly. Plus, this makes the police presence more visible in neighborhoods and that means added protection for neighbors.”
Lane added that by keeping the cruisers in the neighborhoods, it may even increase response time for officers to locations. It will also help the vehicles last longer than the older vehicles.
The 14 new vehicles will overall cost taxpayers $155,000 a year on a three-year lease to purchase, Lane said. He said 11 of the vehicles will be “marked” patrol cars and fully equipped will cost $34,923.
“That includes the paint job, computer system, cameras, lights and other equipment,” Lane said. “We got this deal at a really great price and when we assign the vehicle to only one person, it should save even more. One [patrol] car, with one driver, averages around 16,000 miles driven on it a year. You double that when adding officers sharing the vehicles.”
The officers, like Sgt. Hanley Taylor, one of the first to receive a Charger, aren’t just impressed with the money the new vehicles will save. He said he can’t deny the morale boost with the new vehicle.
“It looks good and it feels good driving,” Taylor said. “On take off — it’s a dog! It will flat out smoke the other cars. And it handles really well.”
Taylor added that people in the community have constantly commented on how “sharp” the car looks. He said some people even compared it to an “old school hot rod.”
Lane agrees and said the new vehicles are also safer. He said he studied the Chargers and found that the Michigan State Police Vehicle Test highly recommended the vehicles.
“They are safer because of the braking and acceleration systems,” Lane said. “That was another big factor in the decision to go with the Dodge Charger. Their stopping ability is big thing.”
The retired vehicles will either be auction off, donated to other city departments or parted out. Lane said he is also looking at trading equipment parts from the older vehicles with other law enforcement agencies. Regardless of where the older vehicles go, he said he is happy for the new Chargers.
“Not only do they look good,” he said, “they are pumping up our officers. I think the new Chargers will be a great symbol for our department and show we are up-to-date on our technology.”
|
Razorbacks
