San Luis police replace aging vehicles with new Fords

SAN LUIS, Ariz. — Police officers will take to this city's streets in eight new vehicles within the month as part of an ongoing program to retire aging, high-mileage vehicles in the department's motor fleet.

The San Luis Police Department is acquiring five Ford Taurus-based Police Interceptor SUVs and three sedans from the same line, at a cost of more than $300,000 from the city's budget.

“We are trying to replace the vehicles that have the most mileage and that are most frequently under repair,” Police Commander Javier Arellano said. “We should have done it sooner, but we do it according to the funds we have.”

The average patrol vehicle in the fleet has logged 140,000 miles, with some starting to incur high repair and maintenance costs for the police department, he said.

The department went with the Ford vehicles because of their off-road capability, given that San Luis police officers often drive on dirt roads in the city, Arellano said.

The department bought two Dodge Chargers last year and had purchased two vehicles in 2010, Arellano said. Prior to that, he said, the department had not acquired any new vehicles for almost five years.

“These patrol vehicles will help improve our response capability,” he said. “That's important because on a call, life can be in play.”