City yanked nearly 300 cop cars in wake of fire
After an officer was pulled from his burning car by a heroic passer-by, the city performed preventive maintenance on the entire fleet.
FOR TWO WEEKS, the state of Philly's police cruisers has been a hot topic.
Literally.
Just days after Officer Mark Kimsey was pulled from his burning vehicle by a heroic passer-by Nov. 8, the city recalled the department's entire fleet of Chevrolet Impalas for preventive maintenance, officials said yesterday.
The nearly 300 Impalas were taken off the street Nov. 10 after an investigation into that damaged cruiser found that its subframe was missing a bolt, mayoral spokesman Mark McDonald said.
Although McDonald emphasized that it's unclear whether the missing bolt played a role in the blaze - the exact cause of the fire is being investigated by the city fire marshal, he said - the Office of Fleet Management made the "prudent action" of tightening those bolts and performing other maintenance on the other Impalas, some of which have been in service since 2007.
All of the Impalas are now back on the street. And, as of yesterday, their ranks are being bolstered by some new equipment: The city has begun to introduce the first of its new patrol vehicles, McDonald said.
By mid-February, 150 vehicles - a mix of both Chevrolet sedans and Ford sedans and SUVs - will be added to the police fleet, with 150 more phased in after that.
That may not be fast enough, according to John McNesby.
McNesby, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, said he's glad that city officials are working to replace the worn cruisers but wishes they'd "step it up a little bit quicker."
"We're out there to protect the public, and we want to make sure we're protected getting there," he said. "Right now, there's not a lot of confidence in those Impalas."
McNesby said the union has previously brought concerns about the "unsafe cars" to the city, and has repeatedly pushed for acquisition of newer models.
He stressed that although the shelf life of the Impalas is estimated at about 5 years, the cars weren't designed for the constant wear they've been receiving: Some units use the vehicles for multiple shifts each day, with certain cruisers being driven almost nonstop, McNesby said.
The issue will get some national exposure this morning, albeit indirectly. Kimsey and Joe Chambers, the 17-year-old who pulled him from his burning cruiser, will discuss the rescue on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."