Wakefield Police Monitoring Ford Interceptor Police Cruisers

Police Chief Rick Smith reports that the Wakefield Police Department is actively monitoring its fleet of Ford Interceptor SUV police cruisers amidst an investigation by federal authorities into exhaust leaks into the vehicles.

A new report indicated that several police departments have taken steps to safeguard cruisers or pull them entirely after several complaints of odors of exhaust fumes coming into the vehicles and one report, out of California, in which a police officer became unconscious while driving the Ford Interceptor SUV.

The majority of the police cruisers in Wakefield are Ford Interceptor SUVs. The department has been aware of possible issues about exhaust gases for about a year, and last year the department purchased carbon monoxide dectors for each vehicle as a precaution.

No problems have been detected in Wakefield's police cruisers. This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution.

The carbon monoxide detectors were a minimal expense, at $20 per unit, but they will help sure officers are not breathing any dangerous fumes in case of a malfunction.

The issue is now the focus of a National Highway Traffic Bureau investigation.

"While we have not experienced any problems here in Wakefield, the national conversation surrounding these vehicles leads us to be better safe than sorry," Chief Smith said. "We are actively monitoring the situation and look forward to feedback and guidance from Ford and the NTSB."