[Mpls] Mack truck outruns MPD: Mpls Perverse Purchasing Report 11/24/03

[Dyna]

	With the snow falling saturday night I had picked one of the finest of 
the fleet from the Postal Service garage- a '98 Mack with tandem drive 
axles, ABS with traction control, and an Allison automatic. Coming back 
from the airport with a load of priority and first class mail, I used 
our usual bypass around the congestion at 3rd Avenue and Washington. 
Crossing at the 4 way stop, I noted a standard issue MPD cruiser pull 
up to the stop sign, then suddenly turn and follow me in cold pursuit. 
Preparing to pull over and stop and soon as the officer turned on the 
bubblegum machine and inquired what I was doing on this little known 
truck route, I watched my mirrors. Unfortunately, despite my slow pace 
in deference to the slippery streets the pursuit did not go well, the 
Crown Vic cruiser getting sideways in a lovely slide. Shortly 
thereafter the officer decided to abandon the pursuit, turning around 
with another skid and returning to the relative safety of plowed and 
salted streets.

	Why do we buy police cars that can't keep up with an old lady in a 
slow truck hauling 10 or so tons of mail when the snow flies? Any 
observer of the local gangbangers will note their preference for 4 
wheel drive SUVs. This was amusing a few years back when the gangbanger 
slid around worse than MPD because they couldn't figure out how to 
engage four wheel drive. But the newer SUVs have four wheel drive 
hardwired on, so even the most crackheaded gangbanger can drive away 
and hide from MPD.

	So why does a city where half the year is slippery going buy an 
ancient rear drive squad like the Crown Vic at $20 grand or so a pop? 
It's not because their built here- haven't been since the '70s. It's 
not because we have a local dealer to patronize- you can't even buy a 
new Crown Cic (or any other Ford, Chevy, or Dodge car) in Minneapolis 
anymore. And it's not because there aren't better vehicles available- 
note that several suburbs, airport police, etc. are using front wheel 
drive cars, four wheel drive pickup trucks, and even SUVs. Even our 
Park Police have snuck in a few four wheel drive pickups. Clearly some 
original thinking is going on in police car purchasing, but not in our 
city hall.

	Clearly it's time for some of that "fresh air" that R.T. promised to 
find it's way to whatever catacomb of city hall they do purchasing in. 
We need to look at Ranger pickups, dent  and rust resistant Saturns, VW 
Diesels, and a whole host of other vehicles for our future purchases. 
Until then, when the snow flies, just about anything on the road can 
outrun our police.

	hangin' on in Hawthorne,

		Dyna Sluyter 
  

REMINDERS:
1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 
2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.

For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls