Sheriff Gary Maha told the Ways and Means Committee today that for new detective vehicles, nothing else but full-size sedans will really do.
Those smaller cars aren’t made to hold up under our driving conditions," Maha said. "They’re not made for police work."
Maha also said smaller sedans are less safe and detectives need all the trunk space of a full-sized sedan.
Highway Superintendent Tim Hens had presented bids for the county to buy three new sedans for detectives at Tuesday's Public Service Committee meeting and questioned were raised about the expense of big cars.
Maha appeared before the Ways and Means Committee today to explain the need for them.
Hens also came with additional information on the purchase.
It turns out, stepping down from a Chevy Impala to a Malibu would save only $200 per car.
That's because the GM fleet discount for Impalas is more than $1,000 greater for the bigger car.
There also wouldn't be a significant savings on gas, with the Malibu rated at 34 miles per gallon highway and the Impalas getting 29 mpg.
"If the different was a $1,000 I’d tell you to cram the stuff into the smaller trunk, but for $200, I’m more than happy to pay that," Legislator Jay Grasso said.
Maha said a typical detective carries in his trunk a shovel, muck boots, an arson kit, a DNA kit, camera equipment, a fingerprint kit, a crime scene kit, the hardware for the car's communications and computer-related supplies.
The lowest bid for the Impalas, at $20,010 per car, came from Ken Barrett Chevrolet in Batavia.
Those smaller cars aren’t
<i>Those smaller cars aren’t made to hold up under our driving conditions," Maha said. "They’re not made for police work."</i>
Who hasn't seen hard-bitten Genesee County vice detectives careening through the busy streets of Byron in hard pursuit of some rotten perp? It is often just like watching a real-life scene from <i>The French Connection</i>.
Obviously, a Honda Civic would never suffice.
Don't underestimate the
Don't underestimate the amount of abuse a police vehicle takes (says an ex-cop), especially in a sufficiently large (geographic-wise) county as this.
Sheriff Maha told a story from several years ago about when a detective using a smaller car was rushing to a scene and the engine blew out.
Once Sheriff Maha was driving a four-cylinder car and spotted some sort of suspected criminal on Route 33 and gave pursuit ... mainly, he just watched the other car pull away as he couldn't get up to 80 mph.
He also had heard that Ontario County experimented with Malibus and found them terribly ill-suited for police work. There wasn't enough room up front, with computer and what not ,to interview suspects and not enough leg room in the backseat to place many of the suspects they arrested.
Yes, a Honda Civic would never suffice.
I didn't realize that the
I didn't realize that the Sheriff's Department detectives participated in regular road patrol in addition to their investigative duties.
I think law enforcement
I think law enforcement should be in as safe a car as there is. It's not always about how fast they go or how much time they spend on the road, it's as much about protecting them from the other lunatic drivers out there!
They could drive the smaller Hummer's as far as I'm concerned. They need to be safe.
I agree, Lori! I used to own
I agree, Lori!
I used to own a Malibu. It's a nice little car, but I would never recommend it for police work! No trunk space, not comfortable for hours at a time, and I don't feel that it is really safe enough-You can't see around SUV's in it, it would squish like a bug in an accident. This is NOT a police car even if the savings were significant.
So with the story about the
So with the story about the need for power in a cop car, they are opting for the smaller 3.5L v6 motor to get the 29mpg? The Malibu is available with a 3.6L v6, so power shouldn't be an issue
If there's an issue with
If there's an issue with safety, maybe they should start enforcing some of the rampant cell phone use and distracted/aggressive driving. Isn't that their job and what we're paying for?