Taking their patrol cars off the road isn't something any police agency wants to do. But some are thinking about it after officers around the country got carbon monoxide poisoning while driving ford explorers.
It's dangerous. And getting rid of the cars is a big problem because police say Ford Explorers are some of the best patrol cars they've ever had.
"It's very reliable, our fleet mechanic reports fewer mechanical problems and repairs with them,” Chief Deputy Jason Ferguson with the Ingham County Sheriff’s Department said. “They're roomier than we're used to."
Ingham county sheriff's department has had such a great experience with them that they're investing in them.
"We are transitioning our fleet that we have now to Ford Explorers exclusively," Ferguson said.
But the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning is a real one and the sheriff's department is aware of it.
"Our fleet mechanic has been in talks with the engineers about a fix for an expected cause for this problem. However it's not been positively identified yet," Ferguson said.
They haven't had any issues but will keep an eye on it, as will Lansing Police who have more than 30 explorers. They sent a statement reading:
‘LPD has installed carbon monoxide detectors in all of the police explorers. To date none have went off.’
Michigan State Police say they're looking into the issue as well, but haven't taken any of their patrol cars off the streets. Until there's a universal fix for the defect, police will do all they can to keep their officers safe.
