Friday, January 31, 2003
|
Friday, January 31, 2003 |
|
PTC's new police cars designed by officers; part of expanded take-home car program By JOHN MUNFORD Peachtree City's fleet of 28 new police cars were designed with the input of officers with one key feature in mind: safety. The light bars were chosen for their ability to be more visible during the daytime and at night. The video camera and radar system ... formerly located on the dashboard is now in the front passenger seat. The old dashboard units could strike an officer in the face when the airbag was deployed, said police chief James Murray. Then there's the new back seat, which is a plastic bench with plastic flooring and a drain spout in the floor. Officers sometimes face the risk of being exposed to hepatitis and HIV, the chief said. "We have a lot of people develop bodily fluid deposits in our cars for some reason," Murray said. The plastic back seat also makes it easier to strap persons in safely, Murray added. The displays inside the driver's area are all at eye level so the officer doesn't have to glance away from the road, Murray noted. The markings on the new patrol cars will remain the same, but they will also sport numbers on the roof so they can be identified from the air. This was done to help the Fayette County Sheriff's Department's new helicopter patrol unit when its assistance is needed, Murray said. The vehicles are also equipped with a special stand that slips over the steering wheel to support a laptop computer for officers to file reports. "We're working on getting reports done faster," Murray said. "Almost never do we have to write a report by hand." Although the feature will not be available in all its patrol cars, the department will have two supervisors on each shift who will have the state band radios so they can communicate with other agencies, Murray noted. The department is also expanding its take-home car program. A total of 23 officers who live in Peachtree City will take their cars home with them, which not only helps visibility to help deter crime but it also helps improve the maintenance of those vehicles, Murray said. "That's what you want, and visibility is extremely important," Murray said. "They're in much better shape and the city gets to use them (in other departments)," Some of the new vehicles are being phased in, with eight or nine going out of service soon and another 15-18 vehicles going off line in the next 18 months, Murray said. That's because the vehicles are reaching the maximum mileage for law enforcement use, he added.
|
||