The Portland, Oregon, City Council approved an emergency ordinance for its police bureau to receive nearly $3.7 million to buy new police cars. Portland fleet operations supervisor Alan Bates told Government Fleet that the police bureau deferred purchasing vehicles over the past two years due to a variety of financial and budgetary factors, leading to a significant shortfall of vehicles for police officers.

Patrol vehicles are typically regularly replaced once they have reached the end of their lifecycle, or have significant wear and tear. The department also replaces vehicles when they are wrecked or totaled. 

Many supply chains, including vehicle manufacturing have been severely impacted over the past few years, Bates explained. Vehicle ordering windows open and close unpredictably and without warning in minutes, hours, or days, he said. In order to have the needed patrol vehicles ordered in Ford's given window, the city was forced to create an emergency procurement/ordinance.

The department is ordering hybrid vehicles, according to the ordinance.