Vehicle Shortages within your department...

[VAsteve20]

Just looking at the Officer.com main page in reference to the Dallas PD detectives having issues with vehicles and what not. Heres the link http://www.officer.com/article/artic...ion=4&id=35455

How many of you guys in UP and specialty units have vehicle issues? Our department just recently bought 70+ new cars which fixed our issues within the marked fleet for UP. For a while we were hurting pretty bad. Cars with holes in the floorboard, 200,000 miles etc etc... cars that were in my opinion unsafe to drive, and if you got into a pursuit with some of them, hang it up...

Just wanted to see if any other departments have serious vehicle issues and how bad is it?

[TOPPED_OUT]

We used to have some issues....nothing nearly as bad as holes in the floorboard or anything....just your everyday power steering whine, check engine light, and brake problems....man were there brake problems!

But, they've recycled through those cars and bought new ones. I'm a reserve, however, so I still drive the crappiest car available

[Matto]

Dallas has unfortunately been plagued with this problem for quite some time. I thought they had fixed it, but I guess not.

[VAsteve20]

We used to have some issues....nothing nearly as bad as holes in the floorboard or anything....just your everyday power steering whine, check engine light, and brake problems....man were there brake problems!

But, they've recycled through those cars and bought new ones. I'm a reserve, however, so I still drive the crappiest car available

It wasnt a gaping hole or anything... but needless to say, you could see the street below you through the floor if you lifted the floor matt lol... Its amazing how new cars and updated equipment boosts moral through out a department...

[jnhdrac]

I like to complain, but after reading that article about Dallas, I do not have much to compain about. Our cars are fairly decent, get rotated out around 100K miles, and in my unit we have take home cars so there is rarely an issue about not having a car. Occasionally when a car goes in for maintenance there is no loaner, but that is usually resolved fairly quick.

[kicket]

When I was working for a FLA dept. we stood in line as the cars came in off the street officer got his bag and got out we got in.we were that short.garbage trucks got fixed before PD cars,My windowgot broke out by a thrown rock rode with plastic on it for 6 months.at least I did not have to transport anyone but 60mph with plastic rattleing sucked not to mention the image of the PD.we were called the getto PD,granted it was the getto but still not good rough place.

[VAsteve20]

When I was working for a FLA dept. we stood in line as the cars came in off the street officer got his bag and got out we got in.we were that short.garbage trucks got fixed before PD cars,My windowgot broke out by a thrown rock rode with plastic on it for 6 months.at least I did not have to transport anyone but 60mph with plastic rattleing sucked not to mention the image of the PD.we were called the getto PD,granted it was the getto but still not good rough place.

thats how it was... now we have those 70 new cars and its brought a good moral boost

[rpd1794]

In my unit (traffic), we are assigned our own vehicles. Occasionally, a motor officer may take it if we are off and the weather is bad, but that's about it. I currently have an 03 CV with 50K on it. Word is they will take it soon and give it to an SRO, and give me an 07.

The units in patrol are run 24-7, but we don't keep them much past 100K so I've never seen any as bad as you spoke of. We have a contract with a local car wash company and they go through once a week. Most of the precincts have hoses and buckets if the cars need it before the week is up. Some of them can get nasty but they have been cracking down on it more lately. They get serviced every 3000 miles and mechanical break-down is rare, but some guys really keep the body shop busy.

[Camo Cop]

Dayuuum!

No complaint here unless it's from the other side of the spectrum.

I have a new unit, two boats and a four-wheeler but they're stingy with maintenance time. I have to lie, cheat and steal (time) to grease hubs, charge batteries, wash boats, etc... End up doing too much of it on an off day.

We normally replace units before they have 130k on em but my four-wheeler is 12 years old and my big boat (22') is about 15 years old though the motor (225 hp) is only aboput 5 years old. My little boat (14' w/ 30 hp) is brand new.

[soflacop]

i work for a fla dept too, and when i went started you didnt get a take home until after your probationary period was up, which left a bunch of "rookies" waiting around to see who could grab a pool vehicle as soon as it was brought in. alot of the times there wasnt enough vehicles to ride around and we had to double up. sucked, and im thankful i got my own g-ride now.