Mon, Dec 01 2008
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Published May 18, 2008 11:23 pm - Police begin putting new cars on the streets All cars also will have new video equipment By Donna Hales Phoenix Staff Writer Thirty-five new police cruisers are here or on the way, and 52 up-to-date video systems are being installed in new and old cruisers, officials said. The video systems could save the city their entire cost in just one less lawsuit, said Jeff Lee, a 15-year employee. The city approved lease-purchase agreements in February at a cost of $955,730. Annual payments are $204,861.69. The city tries to replace one-third of its fleet every four years, Muskogee Police Chief Rex Eskridge said earlier. Some of the cars being replaced have 200,000 miles on them, said Bill Foreman, vehicle maintenance supervisor of the department. Some have been on the street since 1993 and 1995, he said. "It creates safety issues," he said. Muskogee police put 1.1 million miles on their cars last year, Foreman said. The new cars are Dodge Chargers. "I think it's great," said Kris Ledford, a crime scene investigator who got one of the new cars. "We’ve been needing new cars for a while." About a dozen of the 52 Watch Guard digital video units have been installed in police cars, said Maj. Tommy Knight, head of the Patrol Division. "The officer wears a voice recorder on his person," Knight said. "And if he turns on his overhead lights to make a stop, the voice recorder starts." It’s constantly recording, he said. "If you're at a stop light and an accident occurs, the camera goes back one minute," he said. "It's a pre-event recorder." The videos will be a huge assistance for police and people involved in arrests or police stops, said Deputy Police Chief Johnny Teehee. "They show the picture and tell the story - which should be a big benefit to officers and the public," he said. They're a pretty good safeguard, an eye in the sky or Big Brother, some will say. But it's a safety measure for both sides, Teehee said. 
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