Why Are Many Elmhurst Cops Driving SUVs?

Elmhurst IL

02 November, 2021

10:46 AM

Description

ELMHURST, IL — More Americans are buying sport utility vehicles. So are police departments. For many departments, the days of sedans are ending. The Elmhurst Police Department is no exception. At Monday's City Council meeting, Alderman Mike Brennan asked Police Chief Michael Ruth why the police department was buying more SUVs. Ruth said squad cars carry a lot more equipment than they used to. Years ago, he said, an officer just had emergency lights, a siren and a radio. "Now we've got computers in cars, mobile data terminals. They print tickets inside the vehicles. We're carrying first aid equipment, AEDs. We've deployed ballistic shields in some of the patrol cars. We have those in the event that there's an incident that rises to the challenge of an active shooter or a barricaded subject or maybe a suicidal subject," Ruth said. Ford Explorers, Ruth said, make up the majority of the police department's fleet, while the supervisors drive Chevrolet Tahoes, which carry a lot of equipment. "We've got a variety of sizes of officers. We've got some who are 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7. Having them climb in the smaller cars can be a challenge," Ruth said. The department has a few Dodge Chargers, but they tend to get rear-ended on traffic stops, Ruth said.