NPD adds new vehicles to fleet

Nevada Police Sgt. Jimmie Dye and Capt. Casey Crain watch as Nevada Mayor Brian Leonard looks over one of Nevada's new Police Cars after Tuesday night's council meeting. Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail

Nevada Daily Mail

The Nevada Police Department vehicles driving through the city limits look a little different during the past week due to the addition of five 2015 Ford Interceptors to the fleet, replacing some of the older and well-used vehicles.

The final three of the five new vehicles arrived Wednesday and officers have already begun using them to patrol the streets.

"They're ready to go," Capt. Casey Crain said.

For years, the NPD officers had been using Crown Victorias, but as of 2011 those vehicles were no longer being built. In the years since then, the local department bought used Crown Victorias from the state highway patrol, but even those ran out in the last year.

Knowing they would have to invest in new vehicles, Crain said they began researching possible vehicles and decided to go with the Interceptors, a four-door vehicle similar in body style to the Ford Explorers.

"We looked at different options and decided these were to be the best fit," Crain said.

Crain said they chose the Interceptors for the extra space for equipment and for their fuel efficiency above a vehicle with a more powerful engine since the NPD officers usually drive on city streets and not the freeway.

They also selected the new vehicles for their all-wheel drive, which could help during winter weather. Crain said he remembered times in the past when they had to borrow other vehicles when theirs could not handle the roads.

Unlike the previous vehicles, the graphics on the new Interceptors have a sharper black and white contrast as well as some added color, with the input of the department staff and officers helping with the final decision.

The city accepted bids for the vehicles and tasked the project to an El Dorado Springs company who purchased the vehicles directly from Ford and had them outfitted in Nixa. The total cost for the vehicles and the equipment was $31,117 each. Crain said originally they had pursued six vehicles but changed that to five to save money.

Some of the equipment, such as the radios and computers were moved from the older vehicles into the newer ones, but other equipment such as the cages and consoles were not the correct size and had to be replaced.

"We've got a lot of positive feedback," Crain said, saying both the officers driving the vehicles as well as the public have expressed their pleasure with the vehicles. "Everyone seems to like it."

Sgt. Richard Burdick, the driver of one of the new vehicles, said he enjoys the new Interceptors and how they look and feel when on the road, saying that comfort is important since the vehicle serves as their office when they are on duty. Burdick said they are grateful to Crain and Chief Graham Burnley for their work in bringing the new vehicles to the NPD.

After cycling out the oldest vehicles in the department to make room for the newer vehicles, Crain said they will be back to having one vehicle per officer plus one extra in case a vehicle is offline for repairs, adding up to about 22 vehicles in the fleet.