Columbus Credits PI Utility Design for Officers’ Lives

Employees at the City of Columbus, Ohio, are crediting the design of the Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicle for saving officers’ lives.

Lieutenant Dave Hughes told NBC4i that the Police Department has had five rear-end collisions with these vehicles, and officers have walked away from all of them. The vehicles’ crossbar and spare tire, designed to absorb a high-speed impact collision, protects the officers, the news source reported.

Fleet Administrator Kelly Reagan told Government Fleet he agrees that the vehicles saved officers’ lives,and that fleets should take safety into consideration when purchasing vehicles.

“It is important to consider all factors when making a police patrol vehicle purchase. No longer is it just ‘low-bid,’ ” Reagan said. “It is imperative that fleet managers take into consideration everything about a vehicle before making a purchase. Most important in my mind is officer safety, and the purchase of these units paid off in spades for us.”

The PI Utility is 75 mph rear-crash tested, and Reagan identified two instances where this benefitted officers. In one weekend, two officers were involved in similar collisions. Both were parked along a busy highway. In one instance, a drunk driver struck the officer’s vehicle and in the other, a tractor-trailer struck the unit. Both officers are safe.