ERVING — Following an August accident that left an Erving police cruiser “totaled,” the Selectboard authorized the purchase of a new hybrid cruiser during last week’s Selectboard meeting.
This decision comes not long after Erving received Franklin County’s first all-electric police vehicle, a purchase the Selectboard had authorized on Sept. 14.
Police Chief Robert Holst said the department intends to acquire the hybrid cruiser, a 2023 Ford Explorer, for roughly $62,000 from MHQ, an emergency vehicle equipment and accessories company. The cruiser, Holst explained, was offered to Erving after another community ordered it and backed out of the deal. The Selectboard intends to use insurance funding for the majority of the purchase.
The cruiser will replace a 2019 Dodge Charger, which was being driven by an unnamed 35-year-old officer when it collided with another vehicle on Aug. 29, sending the officer and the other vehicle’s three occupants to the hospital with minor injuries, according to Massachusetts State Police Lt. Paul Sullivan. Holst said Thursday that the department is currently in the process of finalizing paperwork and communicating with the insurance company before completing the purchase.
“The town has been working with the insurance company to determine the replacement value that will be covered of the cruiser that was totaled. The vehicle that was damaged was a Dodge Charger and the chances of procuring another Charger this year are low,” Town Administrator Bryan Smith wrote in a letter to the Selectboard prior to the board’s purchase authorization.
Holst said he hopes the department can finalize the deal within the next few weeks. Once ordered, there will be a few months’ wait time before the vehicle arrives, he predicted. Holst’s former administrative vehicle, a Ford hybrid SUV, will serve as a patrol vehicle in the interim.
Should the Police Department revive its K-9 program as endorsed by the Selectboard last week, the new cruiser will likely be outfitted with a cage acceptable for transporting a dog. The cost of outfitting the cruiser is anticipated to be between $4,500 and $7,200. Holst said he plans to seek grant funding for expenses related to the K-9 program.
Although the Police Department had originally purchased an all-electric 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E for roughly $53,000 in response to August’s accident, that vehicle will now be used as Holst’s administrative vehicle. The Mach-E recently arrived, representing the first all-electric police vehicle in Franklin County, according to Deerfield Police Chief and head of the Franklin County Police Chiefs Association John Paciorek Jr. He added that the “vast majority” of departments have transitioned to hybrid cruisers.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.