Agenda Packets - 2011/02/07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The addition of a 4 wheel drive vehicle would provide more reliable mobility during these challenging snowstorm conditions. The department did have a 4 wheel drive Blazer issued to the Police Chief during the 1990’s that was successfully used during snow storms to assist in the mobility of the street patrol officers. It is of the utmost importance for the police to be able to respond to any emergency, as the officers are the first responders to any medical, fire or law enforcement emergency. Situations have occurred this season where a timely response was somewhat of a challenge due to the winter conditions. A vehicle properly equipped with emergency equipment would enable a safe and quick response under nearly any weather situation. For the best all around use, a 4 wheel drive vehicle would best serve the community’s needs as a sport utility vehicle (SUV), capable of transporting prisoners, animals and any needed equipment. These are some of the more commonly purchased SUV’s used by law enforcement to consider and they are outlined in the table below: Vehicle & Price Setup Cost & Graphics Total Cost 2011 Ford Explorer - $23,829 $3988 $27,817 2011 Ford Expedition - $26,713 $3792 $30,505 2011 Chev Tahoe -$29,186 $3792 $32,978 To highlight some of the specifics in these three listed SUV’s, the Ford Explorer, while the least expensive, is also less conducive to conversion for police patrol use. This vehicle comes with a center floor shifter making any equipment setup quite difficult. This vehicle is also smaller with less overall passenger room. Comparing the Tahoe with the Ford Expedition, the Expedition has slightly less interior driver and passenger room, although actually being slightly larger in the overall exterior size. The Tahoe is rated at a city driving fuel rating of 15/mpg, with the Expedition rated slightly lower at 14/mpg. Although the Tahoe is approximately $2500 more, it has been selected by more law enforcement agencies due to a higher comfort level. The Tahoe is also offered with a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty at no additional cost compared to the Ford 3 year/36,000 warranty. Considering these various factors, the Tahoe seems to have advantages over the Expedition. In order to compare with other metro area suburbs, the following table indicates which jurisdictions currently have black and white designs and/or a four wheel drive vehicle as part of their fleet: City Black & White 4 x 4 Columbia Heights Yes No Brooklyn Center Yes Yes- Two vehicles Brooklyn Park No Yes- Two vehicles Spring Lake Park No No Coon Rapids No Yes- Two vehicles New Brighton Yes Yes- Two Vehicles Roseville Yes Yes- One Vehicle Anoka Yes Yes- One Vehicle St Anthony Yes Yes- Two Vehicles White Bear Lake Yes Yes- Four Vehicles Robbinsdale Yes Yes- One Vehicle Maplewood Yes Yes- Four Vehicles