By Nicholas GilmoreThe Santa Fe New Mexican
SANTA FE, N.M. — An initiative to get Santa Fe cops into hybrid automobiles is on maintain this yr as a result of provide chain points which have created delays and value hikes, metropolis officers stated.
As a substitute, the company is ordering automobiles with EcoBoost gasoline engines for this yr’s fleet alternative buy. Deputy Chief Ben Valdez known as it “the next-best choice” which is able to nonetheless present financial savings as a result of gasoline effectivity.
The Metropolis Council on Wednesday accredited the $1.7 million request to purchase 26 new police automobiles from Chalmers Ford of Rio Rancho — together with gear and tools.
The Police Division will resume the transition to hybrid automobiles as soon as the producers can construct and ship them in a well timed method and with out surprising value will increase, Valdez advised metropolis councilors in a current memorandum submitted with the finances request.
The acquisition consists of eight Ford Interceptors for patrol officers and 18 Ford vans for public security aides and animal companies. The worth of the automobiles totals about $1 million, whereas lighting, tools, radios and different add-ons whole somewhat greater than $700,000.
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The police division has been working to switch its fleet with hybrid automobiles — which use a mix of an electrical battery and a combustion engine — since about 2016, Valdez stated.
The division was accredited to buy 42 hybrid-engine Interceptors in 2022, however Valdez stated nearly all of these needed to be switched to the EcoBoost engine and plenty of ended up being 2023 mannequin yr due to delays within the order.
The company remains to be working to make amends for automobile replacements that fell behind as a result of budgetary constraints and provide chain points stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, he stated. And now, with inflation lately, the price of automobiles and tools has risen.
The division plans to introduce Ford Maverick pickups to its fleet as a part of this yr’s alternative. The order contains the acquisition of 16 of the vans, 12 of which is able to go to the company’s public security aides and 4 for crime scene models.
The opposite two vans are Ford F-150s, which is able to go to the Animal Providers Division .
Town’s public security aides drive Ford F-150 vans, however, Valdez stated, the worth of that mannequin has practically doubled since these vans had been bought in 2020. The F-150 prices about $44,000 per automobile, whereas the Maverick prices about $32,000, in accordance with his memo.
The police division has 294 automobiles in its fleet, together with patrol models, police bikes and specialty automobiles like proof vans and armored automobiles.
In August, the council voted to approve the Police Division buy of two new armored automobiles and an armored explosive ordnance disposal automobile at a value of about $1.1 million.
Valdez stated the division would proceed to weigh its choices whereas working to make amends for changing its fleet.
In previous years, he stated, the Ford Crown Victoria was the “gold normal” for police cruisers and that, “surprisingly,” many of the automobiles now utilized by police which can be “pursuit-rated” comprise V6 versus V8 engines.
The company’s fleet additionally contains one electrical Chevrolet Bolt as a “help automobile,” Valdez stated.
“There are going to be developments,” Valdez stated. “I believe in some unspecified time in the future, we are going to in all probability get there with plug-in electrics, and that’d be cool to see.”
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