The Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle is the new sheriff's patrol vehicle in Placer County, replacing the Crown Victoria sedan, which has been phased out by Ford.
Commonly called the "Crown Vic," the trusty, heavy, four-door sedan was the go-to police cruiser of police agencies for decades, including the Placer County Sheriff's Department.
With the discontinuance of the Crown Vic by the automaker this year, Placer County has selected the two-wheel drive Tahoe to replace all Ford patrol cars in their fleet - Crown Vics and Ford Expeditions.
A press release from the sheriff's office said that deputies liked the Tahoe after driving it on a test track. The Tahoe has a larger body style, more cargo room, more horsepower and slightly better gas mileage than the Crown Vic, according to the department.
The sheriff's department is purchasing the Chevy SUVs for $26,209, which is about $2,000 cheaper than what they were paying for the Crown Victoria.
The Tahoe will be phased into the fleet and will be the patrol vehicle from the suburbs of South Placer to, appropriately, the shores of Lake Tahoe.
Sheriff's department spokeswoman Dena Erwin said Tuesday the department has received 16 new Tahoes and three are already in service. The remainder are being readied for the road and will be used when the old cars "mile out."
The department is placing an order for 11 Tahoes for this fiscal year. By the end of this fiscal year, the department will have replaced about one-third of the 90 sheriff's patrol vehicles, Erwin said.
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