Pensacola Police Unveil New Silver Ford Explorer Patrol Cars — Saving Hundreds of Thousands Over Time

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom pulled back the curtain on the department's new patrol vehicle Friday — a silver Ford Explorer that replaces the long-running black-and-white Chevy Tahoe and comes with significant savings for taxpayers.

Winstrom says the switch saves approximately 85-hundred dollars per vehicle — with savings coming from multiple directions. The paint color change alone accounts for 16-hundred dollars per car. The Explorer carries a lower purchase price than the Tahoe, delivers better fuel economy due to its lighter weight, and is significantly easier to resell at auction once retired from service. Black-and-white police vehicles are notoriously difficult to move at auction — a solid color silver Ford Explorer is not.

The department is also cutting costs by handling vehicle graphics in-house rather than contracting that work out — an additional saving that compounds across the fleet over time. Winstrom says the days of the city operating without an active eye toward savings are over and that the department will continue looking for ways to spend taxpayer dollars more responsibly.

Winstrom was quick to credit forward-thinking command staff members who developed the idea before he arrived — saying he is embracing it and building on it.

Most patrol vehicles are expected to transition to the new silver Explorer within about a year. The full fleet conversion is projected to take roughly three years given the normal attrition cycle of police vehicles. Over the life of the transition Winstrom says the savings will total hundreds of thousands of dollars.

PPD PIO Mike Wood added that the department processes 50 to 75 red light camera citations per hour and currently rejects between ten and twenty percent — context that underscores the broader theme of a department focused on doing its work carefully and efficiently.