Police finding it harder to serve with higher gas prices
Uh, oh. Here's an effect from high gas prices that adds urgency to resolving the issue. The Lenawee County Sheriff's Department in Michigan got hit hard by the high gas prices caused by Hurricane Katrina last year. According to Sheriff Larry Richardson, the department will run through its budget by the end of September with increased gas prices the prime culprit. While other police departments have been limiting the number of miles officers can drive their vehicles daily to cut down fuel costs, Richardson is adamant against such tactics. Instead he is looking at switching to motorcycles for patrols. The department considered E85 for its flex-fuel vehicles as well but high demand makes the alternative fuel even more expensive than regular gasoline.[Source: Daily Telegram]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Howard Lee Harkness 5:53PM (8/07/2006)
"The department considered E85 for its flex-fuel vehicles as well but high demand makes the alternative fuel even more expensive than regular gasoline."
Yeah, right.
I don't suppose that the economics of e85 have ANYTHING AT ALL to do with the fact that it costs more to produce (including energy input) and isn't as good a fuel (lower energy content == fewer miles per gallon)... Nah, couldn't be; that wouldn't be Politically Correct. Nope, it's gotta be the excess demand.
Maybe the local PD should come up with something better than cruising around in cars.
Motorcycles might be step in the right direction. I've also seen Dallas PD on bicycles (in places a car or motorbike would be impractical). Here is a good application for an EV (provided you can get one with enough range and performance), since an EV doesn't idle. There's still the economics problem ($100,000 Tesla probably won't do), but maybe somebody can come up with an "outside the box" solution.
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Cano 7:15PM (8/07/2006)
Motorcycles is the best choice. But I admit also bicycles, let policemen tune up his legs
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Glenn A. 9:11AM (8/08/2006)
Motorcycles may not work so well in Michigan in the winter time, guys. Do ya think?
How about thinking outside the box even more?
The Toyota Prius (or Honda Civic Hybrid) as a patrol car.
Certainly the Prius has nearly the interior room of a Ford Crown Vic (within an inch or so in just about every dimension, believe it or not). 0-60 is about 1 second slower with the Prius in civilian trim compared to the hot-rod police package Crown Vic V8.
Mileage difference? The Prius, I am GUESSING, would use about 1/3 the fuel of the Crown Vic. Figure 36 mpg vs. 12 (bearing in mind that cop cars do a lot of idling).
As for top speed, I grant you - the Prius is 106 (probably more line 100 with light bars), some 25 mph less than the Crown Vic.
But you know that old saying? "You can't outrun Motorola". (For those of you unable to figure it out - read "you can't outrun police radio and other cruisers getting in your face to make an arrest").
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