Miami-Dade Police Department announces new vehicles for 2015

(MIAMI, March 23, 2015) – Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez and Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) Director J.D. Patterson are pleased to announce new additions to the MDPD vehicle fleet in 2015.

In order to address current and future needs with MDPD’s fleet of approximately 3,300 vehicles, the department has implemented a five-year replacement plan. The first purchase of 642 vehicles will be of marked and unmarked vehicles which are utilized for various investigative and specialized assignments. Approximately 37 percent of MDPD vehicles have over 100,000 miles, which requires high maintenance costs and safety concerns. The MDPD has retired over 270 vehicles, without replacement, and continues to retire approximately 27 vehicles per month. The purchase price is approximately $13.2 million, which will be financed over five years at a low interest rate.

The vehicles will be delivered over a 10-month period in increments of 60 to 70 vehicles per month. This will allow vehicles to be equipped and deployed via an efficient assembly-line format which will minimize the use of excess storage space, and prolong the vehicle manufacturer warranty maintenance inception dates in line with actual vehicle deployments. This is the largest purchase MDPD has initiated and the first time utilizing a finance model to fund vehicle replacement. MDPD is anticipating these new, more-efficient vehicles will save on fuel and maintenance costs. “

As Mayor of Miami-Dade County, I want to ensure that Miami-Dade Police Department officers are equipped with the necessary tools to serve our community,” Mayor Gimenez said. “This is a testament to my administration’s commitment to public service.”

“It is important to provide responding officers with the equipment and vehicles for them to safely and promptly deliver these services,” said Miami-Dade Police Department Director J.D. Patterson. “We thank the Mayor for his leadership and support.”