Big budget cuts at some major metropolitan police departments, along with movements to defund departments, are putting a dent in orders for some law-enforcement vehicles, hitting Ford Motor Co. the hardest.
Ford is the leader of police-car manufacturers, providing about two-thirds of police vehicles in the U.S. and expects to lead in this segment. The vehicles provide steady profits and image-related benefits. The Police Interceptor, a highly modified Ford Explorer, is perhaps the most high-profile current vehicle.
The New York Police Department has one of the largest fleets in the country with 9,000 police vehicles. In June, the NYPD said it would cut $1 billion from its budget. The city specified savings of $5 million in deferred fleet purchases. In Los Angeles, the LAPD spent more than $3.8 million on pursuit-rated SUVs in the fiscal year that ended on June 30, down from almost $10 million two years ago.
Read the article at Detroit Free Press.