SAVANNAH, GA ( January 5, 2012) Savannah-Chatham Metro will be testing out new patrol cars.
Since 1992, The Savannah-Chatham Metro Police have been using the Ford Crown Victoria. In 2008 we were told of their impending demise. At that time Dodge was offering the only other vehicle that had a “police” version. Without other options, the City of Savannah chose to compare the Dodge with the Crown Victoria. The outcome was not favorable.
In 2011, the last Ford Crown Victoria was produced. SCMPD was faced with choosing the next generation of police vehicles. Chevrolet has the new Caprice 9C1 and 9C3 http://www.chevroletcapriceppv.com/#home.
Ford has two vehicles. The Interceptor Sedan and Utility vehicles http://www.ford.com/fordpoliceinterceptor/#/testdrive/performance.
We wanted to test the new Ford and the new Chevrolet this year. The original plan was to purchase 5 Chevrolets and 5 Fords. Unfortunately, the Ford Interceptors were not in production. We were told they will start production in January 2012.
The city was able to purchase 10 Caprice 9C1’s. We will put the new vehicles in service on Friday January 6, 2012 and observe how they perform, gas mileage, officer usability, and their longevity. The vehicles will be closely looked at for four months.
We were approved to purchase 10 Interceptors. When they arrive, we will do the same observation we do with the Chevrolets and then choose the best vehicle for our needs.
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