Next step taken in plan to buy new police vehicle

The Perry Village Police Department is one step closer to adding a new vehicle to its fleet.

Police Chief Troy Hager recently placed an order for a new Ford Police Interceptor SUV. Village Council, during its Dec. 13 meeting, gave Hager the goahead to submit a purchase order for a new police cruiser at a price not to exceed $37,000.

When the Police Department receives its newest SUV, it will replace a 2008 Ford Explorer that has racked up about 120,000 miles and is used by the night-shift officer. Once the new vehicle is put into service, Hager said the 2008 Explorer probably will serve as a car for one of the village’s schoolresource officers.

“So if we can get another year out of (the 2008 Explorer), but if I have to start putting money into it, then it goes on the auction block,” Hager said.

He noted that the vehicle in recent years has received new sets of tires and brakes and a water pump and radiator to keep it on the road.

The new Ford Police Interceptor SUV will be a gas-powered model, which Perry Village was able to obtain thanks to a special request made by Hager last year.

At a July 26 Village Council meeting, Hager explained that Ford Motor Co. was switching its SUV platform for police vehicles in 2019 from gaspowered to a gas-electric hybrid model.

The 2019 Police Interceptor SUV hybrid would have been $5,000 to $6,000 more expensive, Hager said. He also noted that a hybrid would not be delivered until the end of 2019, compared to maybe the first quarter of 2019 for a new gas-powered one.

Besides the higher cost and later arrival for the hybrid, Hager said he preferred not to buy that new hybrid model for one other reason.

“I’m not real big on buying any car in its first year of production,” he said.

Hager explained at the July council meeting that Ford was still taking orders for gas-powered Police Interceptor SUVs, but had requested that police departments submit letters of interest by Sept. 1.

“The letter of intent says we plan on purchasing (a new gas-powered Interceptor SUV) right after the first of the year. So we’re not spending the money, we’re just telling the Ford dealership through the state bidding program that we are going to buy one and they will hold one for us,” he said at the July meeting.

After submitting a letter of intent and purchase order for the new gas-powered Ford Police Interceptor SUV, the village must sign yet another document to complete the transaction. Village Solicitor James Loiacono said Mayor James Gessic, at a later date, will need to enter into a purchase agreement for the new vehicle.