The 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid. Indianapolis currently operates these in their fleet and wants to shift all patrol vehicles to hybrid or EV powertrains by 2025. Photo courtesy of Ford.
At POLICE, we were surprised by an article that appeared on the website of Government Fleet magazine, a sister publication. According to a news article, the Indianapolis Metro Police Department will be driving only alternative power-train vehicles by 2025.
That seems like a long way away, but really it's only 13 years from now. Yes, you read that correctly. Indianapolis officers won't be driving gasoline-powered patrol cars, if this goal is achieved.
Mayor Greg Ballard may be looking to score some PR points with environmental activists by switching to alternative vehicles such as plug-in hybrids and EVs, but he will also be hampering officers' ability to quickly end vehicle pursuits.
Initially, Ballard is only requiring non-police vehicles to follow his executive order. Of the 3,135 vehicles in the city's fleet, 470 are non-police sedans, 1,957 are police pursuit and other law enforcement vehicles, 121 are fire trucks, 387 are pick-up trucks and SUVs, and 200 are heavy-duty models.
Give us your thoughts. Is it feasible to operate a major metropolitan police fleet with only alternative patrol vehicles? Post your comment below.
