CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Police Department plans on testing 30 police vehicles from three different manufacturers before making a decision about replacing its Ford Crown Victoria fleet. The PD will test 10 Ford Police Interceptors, 10 Dodge Chargers, and 10 Chevrolet Caprice sedans.

Dave Diersing, Cincinnati Police Department fleet manager said of each type, the PD ordered five smaller and five larger engines. Of the Ford Interceptors, five are V-6 and five are twin turbo-charged. Of the Caprices, five are V-6 and five are V-8. All the Chargers are in service, all Police Interceptors have been delivered and half are in service, and the PD is awaiting delivery of the Caprices, expected to arrive in December.

Diersing said this testing will allow the department to evaluate how the Chargers, Interceptors, and Caprices fit with the PD’s needs. “I want to test them through all four seasons. That’s my main criteria. I want to see how these will perform with our hills that we have here and the rain and snow and ice that we get,” he said. In addition, 6-12 months of testing will allow for feedback to acquire the best vehicle to allow officers to effectively do their jobs.

The department’s fleet of marked cars consists of 260 Ford Crown Victorias. In previous years, the department replaced about 50-60 vehicles annually; Diersing said this number has been reduced to about 30 annually due to budget cuts. Marked vehicle lifecycle is normally four years or 100,000 miles; Diersing said 78% of his marked vehicles are out of lifecycle, with the oldest cars from MY-1999.

By Thi Dao