Three Clean Cities Coalitions kicked off efforts to promote more sustainable police fleets by hosting a Police Alternative Fuel Summit in Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Chicago Area Clean Cities, South Shore Clean Cities and Wisconsin Clean Cities welcomed representatives from Chicago area municipalities to show them how switching to alternative fuels could save money and reduce tailpipe emissions by up to 30 percent.

"Police cars often are running for an entire shift," said David Hagopian, vice president of operations for Advanced VTech. "There is a tremendous amount of idle time. A police cruiser can burn six to 10 gallons during an officer’s shift."

Nationally, law enforcement agencies of similar size could save thousands of gallons of fuel and realize substantial cost savings if they switched their fleets to alternative fuels, according to Chicago Clean Cities.

"At a time when cities and states are facing budget cuts or deficits, every agency should be making a concerted effort to save green by going green," said Samantha Bingham, coordinator for Chicago Area Clean Cities. "Clean Cities coalitions are here to assist fleets ready to take action with unbiased, objective information about these fuels and clean vehicle technologies."

Companies who have converted their fleets to alternative fuels who attended the summit included Ozinga, UPS and Waste Management.