North Stafford, Va. — Those who are used to seeing traditional police cars on Stafford County streets, the Crown Victoria made by Ford, did a double take last week.
The Stafford Sheriff’s Office showed off one of two new police cars at their annual National Night Out celebration at Stafford Marketplace on off Va. 610 on Aug. 2.
The department has purchased two new Dodge Chargers at $22,800 each, replacing older cars in the county’s fleet of police vehicles. They were a necessary choice as Ford no longer makes the Crown Victoria and has yet to offer a replacement, said sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy.
The car on display during the festival had the identical markings of any other police cruiser in Stafford, but its taillights, sleek lines and shiny new paint sets it apart from the other cruisers.
The department ordered both Chargers last year and only budgeted for two, and anticipates Ford to offer a replacement for the Crown Vic by making a new car fashioned after its popular Taurus line. The department will also evaluate cruisers from Chevrolet’s Impala line, said Kennedy.
