By JON BAKER

LINCOLN  ---  The town’s police department now has five new Ford Crown Victoria patrol cruisers in its fleet, and the vehicles — these with a different color scheme — have drawn rave reviews from officers.

Both Sgt. Jack McRoberts and Patrolman Brian Molis have noted the new maroon- and gray-painted vehicles, with an individual price tag of $22,000, add a certain style to the cars — not to mention more prestige to the department.
Neither Police Chief Brian Sullivan nor Lt. William Sexton would deny those claims.
“A lot of people don’t realize how important a police vehicle is to an officer,” said Sexton, who was in charge of the procurement, on Friday afternoon. “It’s not only his or her office, but much more than that. It’s how you deliver all police services to the town. You want one that’s recognizable, but also one that well represents the department. This is one of the most recognized symbols the police has, and it’s a point of pride for the men and women who represent it.
“It’s necessary to have it properly equipped and well-maintained, not only for an officer but a key to achieving public safety,” he added. “In extreme cases, it could be used as a weapon, but — for the most part — it’s used to help people in need.”
According to Sullivan, all five are 2008 Ford Crown Victorias with a 350-horsepower engine, and are just like the older white versions still patroling the town’s roadways. He stated the town used to have 11 patrol cars (excluding two for traffic details, a jeep to harness the town’s “speed limit monitoring” trailer and others for “higher-ups” in the hierarchy), but that fleet now is down to 10. (All are Crown Victorias).
The new vehicles replaced one dating back to 2002, two from 2004 and another from 2005.
Sullivan offered that the 2008-09 budgetary cycle dictated that his department would gain four new cruisers, but a fifth was added from insurance money collected after two cars had been damaged this summer — one racing to a fire that
claimed the life of a 90-year-old man, the other to a fight involving weapons.
The cars were purchased from Municipal Headquarters Inc. of Marlboro, Mass following a bidding process.
“We’re a member of the Greater Boston Police Council, which puts out bids to businesses to supply police cars and other equipment (to regional departments) at a lower price; in essence, it’s competitive bidding,” Sullivan explained. “We lost two patrol cars, and gained only one, so it’s good and bad news.
“I wouldn’t want that to happen every year, but we’re glad we have what we do now,” he continued. “We have no plans to get that one cruiser back; it could take a while. We try to keep rotating the fleet each year; that is, to get three or four new vehicles so everything’s fresh, and also so there’s minimal strain on the town budget.
“The ones we replaced were starting to slow down due to wear and tear. I mean, a police car is driven a little differently than a family vehicle … I really like the color scheme and design. They match are uniforms, and I consider them eye-catching. People, I believe, take a second look when a cruiser passes them. I’ve received a lot of positive comments.”
Back in December, Sexton drew the assignment of procuring the new vehicles.
“The chief (then Robert T. Kells) asked me to form a proposal, and I did,” he said. “With zero-based budgeting, you’ve got to justify everything.
“I came up with more than four cruisers, but the budget dictated we only get four,” he added with a smile. “As for the color scheme, that came from suggestions, and talking to fellow officers.”
During the winter months, Sexton found that several other departments had decided to return to the old-fashioned black-and-white tones, and he had pondered such a move. The lieutenant also indicated he was interested in keeping maroon a main color, the reason being it was LPD tradition.
“I brought both schemes back and bounced it off (Chief Sullivan), and he asked me to talk with the officers about it,” Sexton offered. “Patrolman Sean Gorman, who’s a graphic arts guy, he created a picture on the computer of what it might look like. He took a gray car and then put in maroon on the front and back side panels and on the hood and trunk, then added logos. He also designed the emblems (one of which states the motto on every badge and patch, ‘Service, Integrity, Justice’).
“I went back to the chief, and he liked it, and so did the other officers,” he added. “The chief approved it, but there was a lot of input. The main thing was that maroon was a tradition with this department. That’s why the guys chose to stick with it; it’s a pride thing.
“This isn’t just about transportation; it’s a necessary tool to complete our jobs. In a town of 20 square miles, you need a reliable mode of transportation to get you around. With three or four officers, or more, per shift, that’s a lot of ground to cover. It’s a necessity that we have well-maintained vehicles to get us places we need to be, to respond not only to an emergency but a car accident or just a call.”