NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Five marked police cruisers at New Castle Police Department were damaged in accidents in the past few months.
Now the department is down to its minimum number of marked vehicles in its fleet.”Of course it’s concerning,” said Krystalynn Anderson, New Castle resident.
Some residents question if this will impact public safety.
“Whether the emergency is a 10 or a 1, you still want the reaction of a police presence,” said Anderson.
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Police said this will not pose a threat to public safety and it will not cause any trouble responding to calls.
The police chief said they can’t afford to lose any more vehicles, because they only just have enough marked cruisers for patrolling.
“No matter what, they always try to find a way to make sure they got to do what they got to do,” said resident George Lawton.
Three of the vehicles were hit by deer and can be repaired but there’s a delay on parts at repair shops.
The other two vehicles’ accidents involved other drivers and they were totaled. The department’s insurance will pay to get two new vehicles.
“An emergency is never in one location. Typically, when there’s one thing going on, there’s like four things going on, so if needing more cars, they need to be able to get everywhere,” said Anderson.
The police chief said if any more cruisers have to be taken out of service, they will have to use unmarked vehicles, which he doesn’t want to do.
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