Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: Pima will add another truck to its fleet of police vehicles.
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – Think the long arm of the law can’t catch a person speeding through the backroads of Pima? A new purchase approved by the Pima Town Council at its Monday night meeting may prove otherwise.
The council unanimously approved the purchase of a brand new 2018 Ford F-150 quad cab 4X4 pickup truck to upgrade its aging fleet of patrol vehicles. The truck will cost the town $37,400 and will be financed for four years.
Pima Police Chief Diane Cauthen – who also drives a Ford F-150 for her patrol vehicle – requested the new police vehicle be a truck for better durability and variety of use.
“We’re not just paved roads here,” Cauthen said. “We go down dirt roads and off roads.”
Cauthen said there wasn’t a downside to purchasing a truck over a Crown Victoria car or SUV and that her truck can run 120 mph all day long with better comfort than a car or SUV.
Pima Town Manager Sean Lewis said after driving the town’s patrol car to Safford for a window replacement he almost insisted on getting a truck. Lewis said with the cage in the cars, the seats can’t be adjusted back and having an officer cramped is dangerous. Lewis had the cage of the Crown Victoria moved back to give some more room to the officer, but that makes little room for those arrested, who now have to be placed into the back of the car side saddle. The trucks have more space than the cars and fits officers and those apprehended better, according to Lewis and Cauthen.
After a short discussion, the town unanimously approved the purchase. The town manager, mayor, police chief, and fire chief all drive Ford F-150 pickup trucks.
