Police vehicles shrink; hybrids replacing some of department's Crown Vics

The car that would be king among police vehicles is being dethroned - at least somewhat.

While the Crown is not yet lost, some see it as tarnished and out of place in today's challenging economy.

Yes, for years the Ford Crown Victoria has ruled as the car of choice for law enforcement agencies across the country. But in an era of high gasoline prices, tight budgets and environmental sensitivity, those big cars with their big engines and big maintenance costs are losing favor. Challenging the dominance are pesky but solidly built smaller vehicles offering greater efficiencies.

In the Kansas City area, Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass appears to be the leader in efforts to diversify a police automotive fleet by trading his aging Crown Vics for high-mileage hybrids.

Only three of the department's nearly 200 vehicles currently are of the fuel-efficient variety, but Douglass is using federal grants to purchase perhaps as many as 15 more.

He recently explained his thinking to the Overland Park City Council.

"We're looking for a way to save the taxpayers money. We believe we could save several hundred thousand dollars on an annual basis depending on the number of vehicles we put in service," Douglass said. "The Crown Vics are very inefficient when it comes to fuel consumption and expensive when it comes to maintenance."

 Those large and heavily equipped cars get about 10 to 12 miles per gallon, Douglass said. He wants the new hybrids to be capable of getting at least 40 mpg. That indeed could result in significant savings. The department logged just over 1 million miles on its fleet last year and had a fuel budget of $253,455.

The change does not mean police officers will be chasing after criminals in a Toyota Prius. Muscle cars like the Crown Victoria still will be used for patrol duties, but only 59 department vehicles serve that purpose. Most of the rest potentially could be converted to less hefty models.

Two of the current hybrids are used by detectives, and the other is a staff car, said Jim Weaver, the department's public information officer.

A federal stimulus grant is bringing the department $265,000, and a separate non-stimulus program will provide $65,000. Douglass wants to use all of that money for hybrids.

Officials in some other area departments say they might be interested in adding more fuel-efficient cars, but they did not receive a grant. Even if they did, there still is hesitancy by some to stray from the familiar.

"We don't have any (hybrids), and I'd prefer to wait to see how the other departments do and how it works out for them," said Shawnee Police Chief Jim Morgan.

A few departments around the nation have deployed hybrids even for patrol duty.

Lenexa Police Chief Ellen Hanson said that when the time comes to replace staff cars, hybrids might be considered. But for patrol vehicles she would be less inclined to make a change.

"We have interstates running through the city, so we do a lot of highway driving. We'd have to do some more research before we'd decide to do that," Hanson said.

When other departments have gone the hybrid route, officers sometimes have grumbled about the change. Weaver has not heard of any complaints from Overland Park staffers.

"I think officers realize that not only is this an economic issue but also something that is good for the environment," Weaver said. "There certainly is more room in those other (larger) vehicles, but these are not vehicles the officer spends all day in. These are point A to point B vehicles."

The Kansas City, Mo., Police Department is considering downsizing some of its fleet when money is available, said Sarah Boyd, a public information officer.

A department Green Team has studied the possibility of alternatives to Crown Victorias, which make up almost all of the fleet and average 12 mpg. The team calculated that the departmental carbon dioxide emissions amounted to 25.5 million pounds a year.

"We decided that's not acceptable," Boyd said.

One side issue has arisen as a result of Overland Park's hybrid initiative. With the American automobile industry struggling mightily, some are questioning the wisdom of buying hybrids not manufactured in the United States.

State Rep. Gene Rardin of Overland Park is among those expressing the concern.

"Given the state of the American automobile industry and the employment picture, and the situation with many auto workers ... I want to make sure you give full consideration to American-made vehicles," Rardin told the City Council during a public hearing about one of the police grants. "Make sure they get the best chance to compete and win this type of contract."

Few hybrids are manufactured in the United States. Even the Ford Fusion is built in Mexico.

Councilman Terry Goodman expressed concern about the international implications of a strictly "buy American" approach.

Goodman asked Rardin, "Were we to limit this to American-made cars, would you then feel it reasonable if countries around the world said they are not going to buy cars built in America?"

The legislator responded, "I don't think I'd advocate a trade war."

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