NCJ Number
209660
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 29 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2005 Pages: 42-44,46
Date Published
April 2005
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article offers tips for cutting patrol car costs by outsourcing parts operation, carefully tracking units, reducing fuel expenses, and the implementation of a take-home program.
Abstract
In Chicago, the police fleet of vehicles is included in a parts outsourcing contract with NAPA Auto Parts, which involves turning over the current parts inventory to NAPA, ordering and paying only for parts as needed. This allows the city to reduce its parts costs by automating the process and eliminating the restocking of parts inventory, which can be wasteful and inefficient. The San Diego Police Department maintains servicing records for each vehicle to ensure that servicing occurs at the correct mileage interval. Using a computerized service to track each vehicle, maintenance and repair costs have been reduced, as have the number of out-of-service vehicles. The cost of the large New York City police fleet has been reduced by following a six-point program: outsourcing selective repairs; purchasing extended manufacturer warranty repairs on most vehicles; performing warranty repairs in-house for reimbursement; using a "best practice" system for repairs; leasing certain categories of vehicles and purchasing others; and operating a systematic preventive maintenance program. The Pennsylvania State Police achieved savings in fuel costs through a special order issued to encourage car pooling to meetings, adding more stationary patrols if conditions warrant it, using videoconferencing when appropriate, removing unnecessary equipment from vehicle trunks to reduce weight, less idling in unoccupied vehicles, strict enforcement of tune-ups, and regular tire-pressure monitoring. The Daytona Beach Police Department (Florida) found that vehicle costs declined under a take-home program. Officers with take-home vehicles have taken greater pride in maintaining their vehicles than was the case with pool cars, thus reducing maintenance costs.