SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (KMTR) – The next generation of Springfield Police cars is now on patrol.
The Springfield Police Department (SPD) has put its five new Chevrolet Caprice police patrol cars on the road. The cars replace the old classic cop car, the Crown Victoria, which Ford has stopped making.
Each Caprice costs about $26,000. SPD is saving money on the new cars by keeping them all black and using decals to mark them. The old Springfield Police Crown Victorias were black and white; the two-color scheme required parts of the cars to be repainted before they went into service.
The new patrol vehicles also have recycled police gear inside and out. The cars are designed to be more comfortable for officers with the drivers' side seat featuring a small gap for police officers' utility belts.
"We're pretty excited to get these on the road,” says Sergeant R.A. Lewis from the Springfield Police Department. “Handling, performance and the electronics and the computers that help compensate for different, . . . terrain factors and slickness of pavement . . . this is a fantastic vehicle for that.”
The Caprices will also save Springfield some money through better gas mileage. Each car also has a 100,000 mile warranty.
Springfield budgets to replace five cars each year. Cars are replaced at around 120,000 miles in service.
