Both the Traverse City Police Department and the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Department will be adding new patrol vehicles in 2017.

The Sheriff’s Office has secured seven new vehicles in the 2017 county budget (the Office had originally requested eleven but later lowered the request).

All told, the Sheriff's Office has 89 vehicles in its fleet, 52 of which are for patrol. Others are reserved for administration, detectives, narcotics, and jail.

Patrol cars are typically repaired or replaced based on a number of factors, including mileage, condition of the car’s appearance, age, and estimated repair costs. Grand Traverse County Sheriff Tom Bensley says that though these factors are all important to determine a vehicle’s overall condition, patrol cars also experience some unique wear-and-tear. Unlike civilian cars, patrol cars are often left idling for longer periods of time and are used at sudden high speeds in emergency situations.

In addition to the seven new vehicles the department has budgeted for, two additional vehices have been ordered to replace cars totaled in accidents in late 2016. “Insurance will cover part of the damages, but how do you plan for replacing two cars that got totaled? You can’t,” says Bensley.

As for the vehicles themselves, the familiar Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors -- which had been the standard in police vehicles and were discontinued in 2011 -- are being replaced with newer models like the Dodge Charger. Along with perks that typically come with upgrading to newer vehicles like better gas mileage, the Charger police vehicles also have enhanced safety, design and performance features.

Seventeen of the Sheriff Department’s non-patrol vehicles are on five-year leases through an arrangement with Enterprise, which Bensley says has provided savings and more predictability.

“For five years, we have 17 cars that we know exactly what the cost is. We won’t know for a few years, but have our maintenance costs gone down? Have our fuel costs gone down? Now we can track that.”

But leasing isn’t an option for actual patrol cars, so the new Dodge Chargers will be purchased at an estimated cost of $25,000 each. The county is able to achieve significant savings by taking advantage of a lower state bid price.

Police equipment and vehicles no longer in use are sold at a government auction website to buyers from across the country; proceeds return to the county coffers.

The Traverse City Police Department, which leases its vehicles via the city’s Department of Public Services, will introduce three new Ford Police Interceptor SUVs this year, replacing Crown Victorias that have been in service upwards of eight years.

Chief Jeffery O’Brien credits internal repair and service policies that keep the cars in good working order and save money.

“Since I’ve worked here, for 25 years, we have mechanics right there. It’s a great system – the cars can be in and out in 45 minutes rather than sitting there and waiting two weeks in a garage.” He says such an arrangement is a “fiscally responsible, economical system.”