By Adam Kelly | The Duquesne Duke
The Duquesne public safety department has added a new police car to its fleet.
A 2014 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor is replacing one of the Ford Crown Victorias and will be primarily used as a patrol car, as well as a transport for health services to UPMC Mercy, according to Cpl. Michael Kiryk.
“This is Ford’s Police Interceptor package, which is the standard police car package in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Kiryk said.
Kiryk also said this package gives the car a 3.7-liter V6 engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Currently, public safety has five marked cars and one security car. Kiryk said the plan is to replace one car every year, with the oldest cars being replaced first.
Kiryk said that in the next three to four years, the Ford Crown Victoria will no longer be used. The new cars could completely take over by 2016, according to an “educated guess” by Kiryk.
Capt. Robert Brown said the new police car is unique in terms of cost-effectiveness.
The public safety department is one of the first and only police departments in the United States to lease their police cars, according to Brown. Brown said the leases should last for about five years.
“We try to get the most car for the best value of money,” Brown said. “Ford has always provided us the best cars for the money.”
The car that the Ford Taurus Police Interceptor replaced was a 2008 Crown Victoria. The next car to be replaced is a 2009 Crown Victoria, Brown said.
Brown, who is in charge of the department’s police cars, said that after so many years and miles on the road, the police cars need to be replaced.
According to Brown, five years on the road equates to a lot of wear and tear on the automobiles, so it is an appropriate time for them to be replaced.
Brown said the new car uses the radio call sign “3951” and the next Crown Victoria to be replaced will continue in numerical order under the sign “3952”.
This is an easier way for the cars to be identified on the radio, as “39” is code for “Police” and “51” is code for Duquesne and the unit number.
Both Kiryk and Brown said they like the new police car, although Brown said the Taurus is a little smaller than the Crown Victoria.
Kiryk also said he thought it was an excellent time to change the design, and that the department is interested in hearing student feedback about the new paint scheme.
