Arkadelphia police order hybrid patrol cars
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkadelphia Police Department is going hybrid with its patrol cars.
Police Chief Al Harris says he was impressed when a thief in a stolen hybrid car left officers in Crown Victorias in the dust during a chase through Clark County earlier this year.
This fall the department will get a new fleet of 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrids.
Arkadelphia is thought to be the first law-enforcement agency in Arkansas to put a full fleet of hybrids on patrol. The companies that outfit cars with police gear, the state's main training academy and various law-enforcement officials had heard of no other agencies making such a large-scale switch.
The hybrids cost about $1,500 more per unit than traditional police cars but City Manager Jimmy Bolt says they're expected to last longer and use less gas.
___
Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
