By Stacey Federoff
Greensburg Tribune-Review
A menacing wildcat looks like it’s trying to escape from the hood of a new Latrobe police car, a black 2011 Dodge Charger freshly adorned with graphics.
The car is one of two new Chargers the department is using to replace aging Ford Crown Victorias, discontinued by Ford after more than 30 years in production.
“Really sharp, huh?” said Police Chief James Bumar when the orange-and-white graphics were placed on the Charger.
If the Charger is more like the wildcat ? as Latrobe’s graphics suggest ? then the Crown Vic is like a German shepherd: reliable, stern and hardworking.
“I was shocked when they got rid of the Vic,” Derry police Sgt. James Friscarella said. “It’s roomy on the inside, it has a lot of power in the motor and it handles very well.”
Derry Police Department bought a 2011 Crown Vic for about $24,000 in September because they are being discontinued, he said.
The department has two Crown Vics and one SUV used by the K-9 unit.
Friscarella said refitting new equipment for a different model is an extra expense, so sticking with the Crown Vic was always the best option.
“All the equipment we had ? the cages, the radio ? all that fits the Crown Vic,” he said. “It was more cost-effective.”
Ligonier Township police Lt. Eric Eslary agreed. The department, which has nine officers and two of the Ford patrol cars, replaced a Crown Vic early this year .
“Police departments are going to have to get all new equipment for the new kinds of cars,” Eslary said. “Even little things like tire size ? police departments might be stocking up on a certain tire. It won’t be good anymore.”
Ligonier borough police Chief John Berger said his department also bought a 2011 Crown Vic. He said in an e-mail that it cost about $20,000 and will join a 2009 model used by the 12 officers in the borough.
Ligonier Township usually replaces cars every one or two years after logging thousands of miles patrolling the 97-square mile municipality, Eslary said. The department hasn’t decided whether to continue to buy Ford’s new police vehicle, based on the Taurus sedan, or make the change like Latrobe, he said.
“We don’t know what route we’re going to go,” Eslary said.
Bumar said Latrobe’s department decided on the Charger because of higher performance and better gas mileage, compared to Ford’s new police interceptor model and the Chevrolet Impala, another popular police vehicle.
The Charger had more room in the console area for police equipment and 40 more horsepower in its V6-engine than the Crown Vic’s V8, Bumar said.
The new cars, which will be on the road as early as the beginning of the year, will also feature new computers, LED spotlights and keyless starters.
As for graphics, Bumar said he opted to add the claw ripping through the new cars’ hoods in order to uniquely feature the wildcat, a mascot borrowed from Greater Latrobe Area School District.
“I didn’t want to put the (police department) patch on it because it would have been too much detail, so I went with the claw,” he said.
The black Chargers feature more orange than before, including reflective orange blocks across the rear bumper.
Friscarella said he prefers the more classic black and white.
“I can’t see us deviating from what we’ve got now. I just think (Latrobe’s) budget’s a little bigger than what we’ve got,” he said.
After some time on the road, Bumar said he’ll be able to judge if he made the right decision when purchasing the Chargers.
“Time will tell whether it holds up,” he said. “Police vehicles are one of the hardest driven vehicles because it’s out on the road 24 hours a day, three shifts, with three different drivers that drive differently, steer differently, so it’s got to be a dependable, sturdy car.”
Copyright 2011 Tribune Review Publishing Company