Fair Haven adds hybrid SUV to police patrol fleet

By Larry Higgs • COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU

FAIR HAVEN — Perhaps borough officials should paint their newest police vehicle green when it is delivered.

A Ford Escape Hybrid SUV will join the fleet of patrol vehicles after the Borough Council voted to purchase the vehicle Monday night and Mayor Michael Halfacre hinted that more could be on the way for public works.

Fair Haven officials made the choice after Police Chief Darryl Breckenridge visited Westwood Police in Bergen County to talk to them about their experience with the Escape Hybrid.

"We went to North Jersey and drove their car around. It's obvious we're not going to be chasing people with it," Breckenridge said. "We looked into quite a few, and the Ford Escape fit."

The Hybrid will be a marked patrol vehicle and will be used for traffic duty, community policing and the DARE program, he said. It could be the first Hybrid police vehicle in the county.

"We're very proud to be going hybrid. It might be a first in the county," said Halfacre, who thanked Westwood officials for their help researching the vehicle. "We'll probably buy a second hybrid for public works and the borough engineer, they're now using an old cop car that gets 10 mpg. There would be more savings there."

One thing that made a police hybrid attractive, besides an obvious savings in gas consumption, is a total of $14,000 in various grants the borough could receive to defray the purchase price. Officials are awaiting bids on the hybrid, so the exact purchase price isn't known, but Breckenridge said the list price for the Escape is about $26,000 compared to $20,000 for a police-model Ford Crown Victoria.

"We were buying a police car anyway, and there are grants that will defray the cost (of a hybrid)," Halfacre said.

Grants, along with fuel savings, helped borough officials decide on a hybrid, Breckenridge said.

Some of the borough police Crown Victorias in service have more than 100,000 miles and get about 8 to 10 miles per gallon. Borough officials expect the Escape to get between 14 and 20 mpg in police service, Breckenridge said.

Courtesy of APP.com

Compiled for Shore11 by Jim Shaffer