The Town Council recently approved the purchase of five new police vehicles, all hybrids to replace aging cars in the existing fleet. The hybrids are expected to save on gas, reduce carbon emissions and help the department get a little more "green."
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CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
MIDDLETOWN POLICE GOING MORE “GREEN”
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (FEBRUARY 1, 2022) – The Middletown Police Department is going a little more “green.”
Recently, the Town Council approved the purchase of five hybrid police vehicles to replace worn and well used vehicles that had seen better days.
Previously, police have said the hybrid vehicles perform as well, if not better than “traditional” cars and help reduce the department’s carbon footprint on the community.
Currently, the department runs two hybrid vehicles out of a fleet of 29 cars. The five new Fords will replace front-line vehicles that have between 112,000 to 166,000 miles each.
No tax dollars will be used to fund the purchase of the cars. Instead, money from the Town’s Rescue Wagon Fund is being used to cover the cost of the new vehicles. Money from the fund are generated from payments made by insurance companies for ambulance runs.
“It’s starting to catch up with us,” Kewer said. “Currently, we only have six primary vehicles, with no secondary vehicles. Generally, when we have primary vehicles, they’re operating 24-7. You like to give them a break once in awhile and throw the secondary vehicle in there. We only have one of those.”
Kewer said given the shortages of cars and other components, it made sense to get the Town’s vehicle order in now. Originally, the department planned on asking for the vehicles in the upcoming Fiscal 2023 budget, but moved that schedule up.
“With the shortage of cars and chips, we’re six months to a year out on these vehicles,” Kewer said.
Town Council President Paul M. Rodrigues applauded the Middletown Police leadership for its forward thinking.
“Based on what COVID has done in terms of inventory, whether it’s a chip (or anything else),” Rodrigues said. “Any business is suffering from inventory. I think it’s very smart to get out in front of it and request now because even if the request comes in next year, during budget season, you won’t see those until 2023 probably based on what’s happening right now and we can’t afford to do that.”
According to Ford, the current crop of hybrid police vehicles are among their most sophisticated ever.
Relying on its close to 70 years working with law enforcement, Ford indicated its new police vehicles offer more power and performance without any trade offs. Ford also said there’s a potential for significant fuel savings, fewer carbon dioxide emissions and gas fill-ups and less downtime for vehicles and officers on the road.
Ford said a big part of that was the advanced design of its new police vehicles. The way the new fleet are built, on-board electrical equipment can be powered using the lithium-ion hybrid battery so the ignition can be shut off, saving gas. The result, Ford indicated, was there were significant improvements in fuel economy and reductions in engine idling time.
“Our mechanic has really been doing a great job,” said Kewer, referring to the department’s work to keep the existing cars on the road until the new ones arrive.
“We need to make sure our officers in our department are equipped with the proper vehicles,” Rodrigues said. “If it gets to the point where we’re refurbishing seats on our own, that sends us a message. As much as we’ve tried to be tight with the dollar as far vehicle replacement — and we’ve cut that back over the past several years — it’s starting to catch up with us a little bit.”
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