After purchasing and transitioning 11 new four-wheel drive patrol cars into their fleet in late 2014, the East Lansing Police Department is better prepared for handling winter road conditions.
Problems with the old, low-to-the-ground, rear-wheel drive cruisers became apparent last winter. High volumes of snowfall forced the department to resort to other transportation to reach their calls, ELPD Lt. Steve Gonzalez said.
“There were times in the past during major snowstorm events when our patrol cars simply couldn’t get through the snows and we had to use PACE trucks to get through,” Gonzalez said.
But the vehicle purchase wasn’t made solely for that reason.
The vehicle renewal process normally occurs every two to three years, East Lansing Environmental Services Administrator Catherine DeShambo said.
DeShambo, who oversees the city’s vehicle purchasing budget, said the 11 Ford police interceptor utility vehicles — which are a souped-up version of the Ford Explorer — cost $29,000 each for the base model and another $8,700 each for equipment outfitting. Because the department transitioned from a Ford Crown Victoria to a different model, the outfitting cost came at a steeper price, DeShambo said.
Helping offset that cost are the sales from old cruisers to other police departments who cannot afford to purchase new vehicles and the slightly longer longevity of the new cruisers.
At the start of his 27-year tenure at the ELPD, Officer Todd Quick’s first patrol vehicle was a boxy-style Ford Crown Victoria.
Then the only equipment was an eight-channel radio and two toggle switches, one for the sirens and another for the lights, he said. Compare that to now, when the amount of equipment has become a factor in choosing vehicle size.
Quick has been through an estimated 11 vehicle transitions.
His favorite perk of his new ride, which he jokingly referred to as his “mobile, climatically controlled office,” is the fast-working heater.
Of course there’s other benefits over the old cruisers, such as a more spacious interior. But in this winter cold, staying warm is important, he said.
