DALLAS, TX — A faulty fuel hose grounded the Dallas Police Department’s fleet of 26 compressed natural gas (CNG) squad cars for a second time, reported the Dallas Morning News newspaper. The vehicles were recently retrofitted as part of the department’s effort to convert 175 of its 750 marked police cars. Janice Houston, a police spokeswoman, told the paper the fleet was grounded after an officer had difficulty starting a retrofitted vehicle and found a hose spraying CNG fuel. She said a pressurized fuel line had come unattached from the intake. A similar situation occurred after the first 11 vehicles had been converted to CNG. The federal government gave the city $1.89 million in 2003 for the conversion. According to the Morning News, the city’s police associations did not support the retrofitting, stating that the cars are too slow and lack sufficient cruising range for patrol use.