After six months of waiting for two police vehicles that never arrived, the Prairie Village Police Department is placing a new order.
The Prairie Village City Council last week voted 10-0 to approve the purchase of two Chevrolet Tahoes for $99,000. Councilmembers Cole Robinson and Ian Graves were absent.
The police department had ordered three new police vehicles last spring — but only received one.
Police Chief Byron Roberson told the Post via email that the department pays for vehicles only after receiving them.
Police waited for months on two vehicles that never arrived
- Roberson told the city council last Monday that while the department received one of the three vehicles it ordered in March, the other two vehicles never arrived.
- There is no proposed timeline for when those two vehicles, which would have been Ford Explorer Interceptors, might arrive, he added.
- At a certain point, the department decided to instead look for other vehicles to purchase.
- The city council originally approved the purchase of three SUVs as part of the 2023 public safety budget, for a little more than $136,000, according to city documents.
- With the $99,000 purchase of the two Tahoes, the police department now needs to budget a total of $143,000 for the three vehicles. This results in a roughly $7,800 overage, according to city documents. The department plans to absorb the overage into other parts of its 2023 budget.
The Chevrolet Tahoes are available at a Wichita dealer
- Roberson said the two Tahoes pass the Michigan State Highway Patrol standards, which law enforcement agencies nationwide use.
- The two vehicles need to be outfitted to match Prairie Village Police branding and to feature police lights and interior needs, he said.
- The department will pull from other parts of its budget outside of the $99,000 purchase to pay for those upgrades, according to city documents.
- Roberson told the Post via email that the Fords were ordered from a local Ford dealership that PVPD has been working with for more than 15 years.
- “We are being told that Ford is so far behind on building the Ford Explorer Interceptors, they are not taking orders for 2024 and do not know if they will be accepting new orders,” Roberson said.
All-electric vehicles are unviable for police
- Roberson said that, in his opinion, electric vehicles “are not ready for police use,” namely because they are not tested through the Michigan State Highway Patrol.
- Prairie Village Police looks at the safety, reliability and dependability of a car before purchasing one for its fleet, Roberson added.
- Most vehicles in the fleet run 24 hours a day and, while the department will continue to evaluate the possibility, Roberson said electric vehicles aren’t ready for the rigors of police work.
- Neighboring agencies like Leawood have added electric vehicles to their fleet, though.
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