Cedar Grove Police Department Adding New Vehicles

The Cedar Grove Police Department will be adding two new patrol vehicles to its fleet by the end of this month, officials said at Monday night's Council meeting.

The contract to supply the township with two 2011 Ford Crown Victorias at a cost of $47,820 was awarded to Route 23 Auto Mall in Butler, according to a resolution passed by the Council last night.

Township Manager Thomas Tucci said the township saved more than $10,000 by transferring light bars and interior police equipment from old patrol vehicles into the new ones, rather than purchasing new cars pre-loaded with them.

Cedar Grove Police Chief Richard Vanderstreet said the two vehicles being replaced are 2009 Ford Crown Victorias, with 80,000 and 100,000 miles on them, and that two years is a fairly typical lifespan for a front line patrol vehicle.

"Front line vehicles run basically 24/7. In addition to high mileage there's also numerous hours of additional engine time where the engine running but the vehicle is not necessarily in motion," he said.

"Two years is about the maximum time that a front line patrol vehicle can be used," he said, noting that vehicles must be in peak performance condition to properly serve their function for the department.

Vanderstreet said former front line patrol cars are not just discarded, but are given a second life, and are frequently handed down to other divisions of the department, where their road time will not be as rigorous.

Ford announced last year that it would stop producing the Crown Victoria this year, and Vanderstreet said the purchase of the 2011-year models would give the department an opportunity to observe what Police Interceptor models come out in the next two years before deciding which model to buy when the time comes to replace the new patrol cars.

"We thought this was a good opportunity to get these Crown Victorias and assess what the new Interceptors will have to offer before buying."