Despite safety concerns, council votes to buy 20 more of the cruisers
By Eric Aasen, The Dallas Morning News
The Irving Police Department will continue to use Ford Crown Victoria cars, despite concerns about crash safety.
The City Council voted 9-0 last week to buy 20 cars for about $420,000.
Irving joins other area municipalities that continue to use the cars. The Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted in November to keep the Crown Victoria in the county’s fleet. The Dallas Police Department has said it will no longer purchase the cars until significant safety improvements are made.
At least a dozen law enforcement officers nationwide have died from fuel-tank fires in rear-end collisions of Crown Victorias. A Dallas police officer died in 2002 after a speeding motorist struck his patrol car from behind, causing it to erupt in flames.
Ford Motor Co. and Irving officials maintain that the cars are safe. The vehicle has performed well in safety crashes, said Kristen Kinley, a Ford spokeswoman.
No Irving officers have been killed in Crown Victoria crashes, said Officer David Tull, a police spokesman. And no collisions involving Irving’s Crown Victoria cars have resulted in a fire or explosion, he said.
The deaths of law enforcement officials occurred during high-speed crashes of at least 70 mph, Ms. Kinley said.
In Irving, some of the 20 cars - 2004 models - will replace aging vehicles, Officer Tull said. The department should be receiving the first batch of cars in the next couple of weeks.
Of the 127 cars in Irving’s fleet, 111 are Crown Victorias. The city retrofitted older cars to offer more protection in the event of a high-speed, rear-end crash, Officer Tull said.
A shielding component has been placed on the rear axle of cars built since October 2003, Ms. Kinley said. The shield is designed to protect the axle from puncturing the fuel tank during a crash, she said.
Crown Victorias dominate the country’s police fleets. About 85 percent of police cars - or 350,000 - are Crown Victorias, Ms. Kinley said.