LPD phasing out classic Crown Vics for smaller, all-wheel-drive Interceptors

LACONIA — For more than a decade, the Ford Crown Victoria was the vehicle of choice for Laconia police. With a V8 engine and rear-wheel drive, though, it bore more resemblance to sedans of the past than the products of a modern automaker. As such, the crown has been passed to a new police cruiser, the Ford Police Interceptor, which the city began using earlier this month and which will eventually proliferate throughout the department's fleet.

The police department has recently replaced two of its front-line, patrol vehicles with Police Interceptors. Based on the Ford Taurus, the new cruisers feature a V6 engine that is approximately as powerful as the old V8, while achieving moderately better fuel economy. The Interceptor's real trump card over the Crown Vic, though, is better handling, especially with approaching winter weather.

"It handles amazingly because it's all-wheel drive," said Officer Adam Batstone, one of the patrol officers assigned to the new cruisers.

The new Interceptors — both 2013 models — come with their shortcomings, too. The biggest complaint is that they're smaller — both in overall footprint and in interior space. The space difference is most noticeable in the back seat, though any occupants in the back of a cruiser will likely have more to worry about than knee room.

Should police need to accommodate any persons too large for the back seat, said Lieutenant Al Lessard, the department can use its transport van.

Another detraction for the Interceptor is poor rearward visibility in comparison to the Crown Vics.

Being more modern vehicles, the Interceptors offer a few amenities that were absent on the Crown Victorias. Officers can activate their lights and sirens from controls mounted on the steering wheel, whereas the same task in a Crown Victoria requires the officer to take his or her hand off the wheel.

Another welcome improvement in the Interceptor is a shelf, molded into the top of the dashboard, to fit a radar unit. With this placement, the officer can check a motorist's speed with less distraction; in the Crown Victoria, the radar unit must be placed below the dash, requiring the officer to look down to view the displayed speed.

The police department has 22 total cruisers in its fleet, with nine assigned to front-line patrol duties. According to Lessard, the department will seek to replace the Crown Victorias with Interceptors at the rate of two or three per year.

The Police Interceptors were sold to the city by Irwin Automotive Group, a Laconia dealer that won the competitive state bid. The Sign Shop in Tilton adorned with cruisers in Laconia Police Department livery, while Ossipee Mountain Electronics installed police-specific equipment.

With flurries in the forecast, officers Batstone and John Howe are looking forward seeing how their new patrol vehicles will handle. As Howe said, "It's all-wheel drive. That's the biggest plus, the ability to drive in the snow."

CAPTION with NEW CRUISER in AA:

Laconia Police Officer Adam Batstone is shown here with one of the two new Ford Police Interceptors which have recently been added to the department's fleet, replacing the now-outdated Crown Victoria model. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)