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FFPD Switching Over to Chevy

 

By:  David Deschesne

Fort Fairfield Journal, July 31, 2019

 

   Fort Fairfield Police Department recently requested the purchase of a new police vehicle at the July town council meeting.  Currently, the 2014 Ford Explorer has 105,000 miles on it and has reached the end of its usefulness as a police vehicle.  The 2014 Explorer will be removed from service, sold by sealed bid and proceeds from the sale will be placed in police department reserve account.

   FFPD Chief, Shawn Newell is looking into purchasing a Chevy Tahoe due to Ford not making any police vehicles until the start of 2020.  "Ford has also increased the cost of their new police vehicles by $7,000 - slightly higher than the Chevy Tahoe," said Darren Hanson, who is acting Fort Fairfield town manager while town manager, Andrea Powers is out on vacation.  "The Tahoe offers better gas mileage, larger accommodation for equipment and higher resale value at the end of the vehicle's usefulness as a police vehicle." 

  The town received three quotes for the price of a new 2020 Chevy Tahoe: Carroll's Auto Sales, Presque Isle, $36,987; Valley Motors, Fort Kent, $37,199; Quirk Auto, $37,181.90.  The cost of the uplift of the equipment to the vehicle is $6,672.32. 

   According to Chief Newell, the last police cruiser purchased was a 2018 Explorer for around $31,000.  "The problem is I wouldn't be able to order a Ford until the middle of next year and the life of this one is fading quickly as a police vehicle," said Newell.  "We just put $2,500 worth of repair into it.  It's the vehicle I use and I don't typically do pursuits, I don't typically do anything but come and go for business but I wouldn't take it any further than Houlton or Presque Isle at this point."

   The town council voted unanimously to approve the purchase of a 2020 Chevy Tahoe from Carroll's Auto Sales and the added expense for the police uplift modifications.