City of Poughkeepsie Receives 4 New Police Vehicles

Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison joined state Sen. Sue Serino and Police Chief Tom Pape at police headquarters to unveil four new, long overdue police cruisers.

The department currently utilizes a primary fleet of Ford Crown Victoria models which are no longer in production. The vehicles were purchased in 2011 and 2015 and have been running 24 hours a day every day since being delivered and have run their course of usefulness and safety.

In 2016 Rolison reached out to Serino to ask for assistance in obtaining funding to replace a few of the vehicles. Serino secured funding through the NYS Department of Criminal Justice Services to obtain four brand new Ford all wheel drive SUV cruisers that are equipped with up-to-date electronics and safety devices to protect the occupants.

According to Pape, the vehicles are the offices of the patrolmen for 8 hours a day and the computers in the new vehicles will allow them to carry out many of their computer related tasks while on patrol. The cost for each vehicle--fully equipped with all of the needed items--was approximately $45,000 per vehicle.

Rolison also announced that NYS Assemblyman Frank Skartados has secured funding for four vehicles that should arrive within the next twelve months.