MANISTEE COUNTY – There are a few different styles of new police vehicles this month in Manistee County as the sheriff’s office and city police replace their older patrol vehicles.
The Manistee County Sheriff’s Office now has two new Ski-Doo snowmobiles to replace the two older models.
Manistee County Sheriff Brian Gutowski said the previous sheriff’s office snowmobiles that were replaced were from the 1990s.
“We were able to use some funding that comes to Manistee County through the (US) Forest Service,” which is where many of the snowmobile trails are located, Gutowski said.
The sheriff’s office also has a new snowmobile trailer to transport the vehicles. The sleds cost about $15,000 each, Gutowski said.
There is a deputy from the sheriff’s office that specifically handles snowmobile patrols in the winter and marine patrols in the summer.
Gutowski noted that the deputy is partially funded by grants through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
“They provide funding and basically patrol the snowmobile trails in Manistee County looking for typical snowmobile violations,” Gutowski explained.
Although sleds are ideal for patrols, they are also used as a means of safety transportation to respond to emergencies in difficult locations.
“It’s a really valuable tool not only for patrolling … but also for accessing people in an emergency, so if there’s a snowmobile crash or if we have to get people back who might be outside (in a place where) you can’t. access traditionally with patrol cars or using the roads, having the snowmobiles is a great tool for that,” Gutowski said.
The Manistee County Sheriff’s Office now has two new Ski-Doo snowmobiles to replace both models.
Photo submitted/Manistee County Sheriff’s OfficeA new look
Manistee City Police Department Chief Josh Glass said the department has two new patrol vehicles after replacing the previous ones at the end of their roughly five-year life cycle.
“In the city, we plan and budget for these things through the motorpool fund,” Glass said.
The latest 2022 Chevy Tahoe arrived in mid-February. Both new Tahoes cost about $40,000 plus $12,000 to equip.
The equipment includes stickers, special sirens, lights, in-car camera systems, a divider to separate the back seat from the front and the rear hatch organization area for equipment.
He said the first Tahoe took 11 months to be delivered and the second took two months to arrive.
The vehicles also have different graphics, making them more visibly a police car.
“I wanted our graphics to be more visible to the public … to be more easily recognizable as police vehicles,” Glass said.
The department does not conduct undercover operations in its patrol vehicles, he added.
“While I think the (previous) black and gray combination looks very professional, I like being able to be quickly identified as a police vehicle in case someone needs help or to deter crime,” Glass explained.
“Really, our police vehicles are an extension of the police department and the city itself, so I’d like it to be visible in our community.”
The department switched from older Ford vehicles to Chevys because they better fit officers’ needs, short-term costs and long-term value.
“We had some problems with the Ford … so we looked at it as a pricing issue. Other law enforcement agencies told us they had less problems with Chevy Tahoes,” he said. “The information we had was that Chevy Tahoes hold their value a little bit longer, so when they get to the end of their useful life when we auction these vehicles off, our hope is that we’ll have more money to put them back into the engine pool to increase them. the sustainability of this fund.”
The city’s motor pool is also used by other departments, such as the Manistee Department of Public Works, to pay for vehicles.
Glass said Tahoe maintenance costs are also typically lower than other vehicles in the department’s fleet.
“The example I was given (was) if you have to change the oil filter on some vehicle models you have to break the engine to get to the oil, whereas that’s not the case with Tahoes,” he said .
He said having a larger patrol vehicle is helpful for officers.
“We have officers who carry their fire extinguishers in their vehicles and we have rescue discs, and we have medical kits and test kits. It seems like in today’s era of policing, we’re trying to get more tools into patrol cars.” .
The department has four active vehicles in its fleet.
