Commissioners To Discuss Possible Purchase of New Police Cars

During Tuesday night’s commissioner’s work session, the Haverford Township Commissioners agreed to discuss the strong possibility of purchasing five new police cars.

Township Manager Larry Gentile explained to the commissioners that the Ford Motor Company will discontinue the Crown Victoria.

In fact, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor will end production later this year, with a sixth-generation Taurus replacing the Crown Victoria. But Gentile said that not even the sample of the new police cars are out.

That is why at next week’s Commissioner’s Meeting, there will be a discussion of buying five of the 110 remaining Crown Victoria vehicles and the upgrades that each one will need, such as computer mounts and safety cages.

"The problem that we're concern with is that it's going to have an enormous impact on 2012's budget if we wait until we make those purchases for next year," Gentile told the commissioners. “An initial vehicle that will run at approximately $24,000 to purchase the vehicle will actually double because it will cost almost $20,000 for internal equipment."

However, he said that the township would save money if it purchases five Crown Victorias now.

"We would be eliminating this amount of money out of the police budget for vehicles for next year," he said.

As Gentile told the Haverford-Havertown Patch after the work session, “It would basically be like saving $13,000 per vehicle for the retrofit” if the township purchased the vehicles soon.

In fact, Gentile said that if the commissioners decide on purchasing the Fords at next Monday night’s meeting, he could call the Ford Motor Company the following day and order five cars, which would replace older police cars.