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Lathrop buying dozen patrol units for its own force debuting in 2022
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Every new Lathrop Police patrol car on the street will be brand new when the city’s first standalone police department comes online next year.

Last week the Lathrop City Council approved a contract for $800,000 to purchase 12 additional vehicles to bolster the 11 that they already purchased earlier this year – essentially replacing the city’s existing fleet currently in use by the San Joaquin County Sherriff’s Office plus an additional vehicle.

By utilizing the State of California’s existing master contract with the vehicle manufacturers, Lathrop plans on adding 8 new 2022 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles as well as 4 new 2022 Dodge Chargers.

The city plans on spending no more than $346,400 to purchase the eight Ford police utility vehicles plus an additional $240,000 to purchase the necessary equipment for each unit and have it installed. The four Dodge Chargers, which come with all-wheel drive, are coming in at a cost not to exceed $158,800 plus $54,800 to purchase the necessary equipment and have it installed for everyday use.

Folsom Lake Ford, which owns the master contract for the State of California, will supply the Ford utility vehicles while Elk Grove Dodge, which owns the contract for all Chrysler vehicles, will supply the Dodge Chargers. 

And the Ford Police Interceptor Utility is not your standard patrol vehicle.

After working with representatives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan Highway Patrol, Ford included features on its new police vehicle that are revolutionary – from a hybrid drivetrain intended to save gas when vehicles are idling to an optional state-of-the-art system that detects threats around the perimeter of the vehicle and notifies the occupants of the vehicle of the location of the potential threat.

If the vehicle is equipped with the police perimeter package and it is activated, the vehicle will automatically activate the backup camera, roll up all of the windows, and lock the doors in addition to alerting the officer inside – a new step towards safety.

The vehicle has also been designed to withstand a rear collision from up to 75 miles per hour – protecting officers who may be pulled over on the side of the road from rear-end collisions by motorists that veer off the roadway.

According to the staff report prepared for the council, the city isn’t expected to get its current patrol fleet back from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office until July 1, 2022 – not giving the city enough time to rebrand the vehicles and use them as soon as the handoff between the two agencies takes place.

Current plans are to use some of those 22 vehicles for backup patrol cars for when one of the newly purchased vehicles is in for repairs or maintenance and distribute the others for other city use as necessary. 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.