BRIER
With just 27 miles of streets and roads to patrol, the city of Brier made a bold move shifting its sights off big-muscle cruisers to a mid-size, fuel-efficient crossover vehicle.
When fuel prices spiked in 2009, the city cast a wide net looking at how and where cost reductions could be made.
“We are constantly thinking about how to do things better,” Mayor Bob Colinas said. “We explored efficient, effective and green patrol cars. We selected a model we expect to get 15 miles per gallon within a working environment.”
The newest car in the fleet, a Chevrolet Equinox, has been on the road for two weeks.
Estimated mileage for a Crown Victoria or Charger patrolling Brier is about four to six miles per gallon, according to Police Chief Donald E. Lane. “They sit running a lot doing traffic checks,” he said.
In New York and New Jersey, departments are using the Prius, Colinas said. “We looked at how we actually use our patrol cars. When gas hit $4 per gallon, we did the math and projected that the car we selected would pay back in three years.”
“The car is well suited for Brier,” Lane said. “It is fuel efficient, has all-wheel drive for winter driving and has a back seat large enough to transport (suspects).”
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