KNOXVILLE, TN – Knox County’s Commission is considering replacing 125 vehicles in the Sheriff’s fleet of patrol cars, which although would cost $3 million (though this amount has already been allocated in the budget, according to County records), would reduce maintenance costs for the fleet over the long run, according to WBIR-TV.

The County’s resolution RLA-R-11-2-905 addresses the issue because the County is coming up on the deadline to order Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars, which Ford will no longer manufacture. WBIR-TV said that Commissioner Amy Broyles pointed out that the County Commission has under-funded the Sheriff’s office for the past several years, which has led to the need to replace these vehicles.

County records stated that the total vehicle fleet consists of 278 marked patrol cars and 159 unmarked vehicles. Of the marked patrol cars, 125 of them have more than 100,000 miles on their odometers, and these new patrol cars would replace the high-mileage vehicles in the fleet.