The Chevrolet Tahoe was to have been Chicago’s police car of the future, but the city appears to be putting the brakes on plans to replace the aging fleet of Ford Crown Victoria squads with the bulky sport-utility vehicle.
In 2008, the Daley administration inked a three-year contract with a Hodgkins auto dealer to provide the Chicago Police Department with up to 2,000 of the SUVs, with a goal of supplanting its existing fleet of aging “Crown Vics,” a popular — and less expensive — sedan that is stopping production this month.
But as of August, the city had just 611 Tahoes in its patrol armada and appears to be rethinking a strategy that was backed by former police Supt. Jody Weis, the Better Government Association has learned.
Here's a funny thought though - unless the city buys another 10 to 15 cars per district, this manpower shift everyone is talking about where the bulk of officers are on the streets from 2000 hours until 0400, isn't going to happen since we don't have the equipment available to field the bodies currently on the watches. Days will get their pick of the cars, but afternoons and midnights? Either foot posts, bike posts or phantom assignments because we run out of cars constantly and riding 3 deep in a cage car isn't happening.