Athens Police Department officers might drive the first hybrid city vehicle if Athens City Council passes a pending amended ordinance to purchase a Ford Escape Hybrid for an unmarked police vehicle.
Councilman Elahu Gosney, D-at large, said he was notified shortly before yesterday's meeting that the Athens Police Department is willing to try a Ford Escape Hybrid instead of a Ford Explorer Sport Track as an unmarked vehicle.-
said Athens Police Captain Tom Pyle.
City Council has not had any policies regarding vehicle efficiency and should start now to prepare for next year's vehicle requests, said Councilman Jim Sands, D-at large.
The city recently purchased two Crown Victorias for the police to meet an April 1 deadline.
If we had a policy then that detailed what we could purchaseG?the whole process would have gone a lot more smoothly and would have saved council and the police department a lot of time said Councilwoman Sherry Coon, D-2nd Ward.
When vehicles are no longer reliable for the police to use in pursuits, many other departments receive the hand-me-downs Wiehl said. This makes it difficult to eliminate all gas guzzlers in exchange for hybrids, he said.
Wiehl also will consider hiring an intern to assess green house gas emissions in city administration buildings.
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Sarah Beth Hensley
