The Gustine City Council has given the police department the green light to purchase two new patrol vehicles to replace some of the older models in the fleet.

The motion was approved at the July 2 meeting 4-0 with Mayor Pat Nagy absent.

The police department has been operating with a fleet of eight patrol vehicles, which does include two new Ford Explorer Pursuits that arrived a few weeks ago. The other vehicles in the fleet are significantly older, however. There is a 2017 Dodge Charger with 92,589 miles; three 2015 Ford Taurus with an average of 112,770 miles and one of which is non-operative; a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria with 133,116 miles; and a 2002 Ford Crown Victoria with 95,347 miles.

Over the past year the aging fleet has taken a beating with the vehicles sustaining “significant wear and tear, resulting in increased maintenance costs and downtime,” according to the department. The repairs have included new front ends, transmissions, frame components and numerous other repairs.  

On average, patrol vehicles have a life span of about six years and/or 100,000 miles.

The department was given the approval to purchase two new vehicles at a cost not to exceed $80,000 per vehicle. But even with money in hand, it has not been easy to find the inventory. The department told the City Council that there were no police vehicles available in California and that the order window for 2025 models does not open until August. Even then, the production is expected to be delayed until April 2025.

The police department started looking out of state and found a dealership in Denver that has two 2024 Ford Explorers available for purchase. The dealership quoted a price of $50,435 with a discount of $1,500 per vehicle for a total of $48,935 per vehicle, which includes delivery. It does not include sales tax, which would be paid by the city when the vehicles are registered. The estimated sales tax on both vehicles is $7,971.15. The total for both vehicles would be $105,841.15 and estimated delivery would be in August.

Both vehicles would need to be outfitted with special equipment, which is expected to cost around $26,000.