Yonkers Tribune

“We are pleased to unveil the police department’s newest fleet of vehicles that are updated and safer, which will benefit our police officers and our residents,” said Mayor Spano. “Our current fleet has been used to its fullest potential, patrolling our streets 24-7. Time has come to retire aging vehicles, and replace them with technologically more advanced and energy efficient ones.”

The new Yonkers police car fleet will feature a new look, with a black and white color scheme. This will allow the vehicles to be more visible so the public has the ability to immediately identify Yonkers police vehicles at a greater distance. Striping on the vehicle will consist of a high visibility reflective material so the vehicle will be noticeable day or night.

Charles Gardner, Yonkers Police Commissioner, commented, “The safety of our officers and the public is paramount to our Department.  These vehicles will provide our officers with the latest technology to assist them in providing police services to our City.  Some of our vehicles are on the road 24 hours a day and are used for all three tours of service.  I thank the Mayor and the City Council for once again providing us with the tools we need to make our city safer.”

This fall, the YPD will introduce 23 new Chevy Caprice police sector cars as older vehicles are retired from service. The new vehicle has numerous safety enhancements as well as increased horsepower and handling. Additional upgrades include: 

·         All LED emergency lighting. This feature coupled with the new IdleRight system, from Havis Inc, will greatly reduce the fuel usage of the vehicles when at a scene. This system will monitor the battery voltage and turn the vehicle on and off as is needed to maintain the battery condition while the vehicle is stationary with the emergency lights activated. This will eliminate the need to idle the vehicle all day while at a traffic post at an emergency scene.

·         Interior lighting updates, including adaptive brightness settings. A photo sensor has been installed in the vehicle that will automatically reduce the brightness of the light bar at night which is critical as the current light bars have become so bright that they can make it difficult to see a pedestrian or officer around the vehicle.

·         New computer system. The new system utilizes a tablet computer coupled with a new console and keyboard design. Connected to this new system is a thermal imaging camera system. This system will allow officers “night vision” capability to be able to increase their effectiveness after the hours of darkness.

Additionally, nine new Ford Police Interceptor Utility trucks will be introduced to the YPD car fleet, replacing the Chevy Tahoe SSV vehicles utilized for patrol supervisors. The vehicle’s improvements include high-level suspension, engine and brakes and all-wheel drive. This will increase the mobility in inclement weather allowing faster response time. Additional features include:

·         State-of-the-art multi-color LED light bar from Whelen Engineering. The multi-color light bar will increase the visibility of the vehicle but will also increase its usefulness. The front of the bar can be switched to white LED lights to provide scene lighting. It will also incorporate the Idle-Right system to save fuel and will have the adaptive lighting to reduce power consumption as well as increase fuel savings.

·         New models will be equipped with a tablet style computer with a new console and keyboard design.

The YPD also will replace its aging Emergency Service Unit (ESU) truck with a Ford F550 Super Duty cab and chassis with a custom rescue module. This vehicle was completely redesigned by the YPD’s vehicle team. New features include:

·         A new extruded construction that will reduce the weight of the truck while increasing its durability. It comes with Ford’s new 6.7 liter turbo diesel motor that will increase its power while also reducing emissions compared to older generation vehicles. 

·         It features a newly designed LED light bar that will increase its functionality.

·         Significant design changes to the interior of the vehicle to facilitate the removal of the emergency equipment. The new PTO generator set will reduce weight and space requirements allowing the hydraulic extrication to be ready at a moment’s notice. 

·         A dual band radio, enabling officers to communicate directly with other agencies, such as the County Police, in case of emergencies that will further reduce response time to major incidents.  

The color model of the current YPD fleet was last updated in the late 1990s, when the models were changed from the pale blue and white cars to the all-white with blue striping modeled cars. As the current vehicles are taken off the streets and retired, the City will sell them on its Yonkers CARS Store eBay site for auction.

SOURCE: Christina Gilmartin, Communications Director, Office of the Mayor