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Police officers from around New York converged on Albany today to press their concerns on safety issues, chief among them, explosive collisions involving Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars. At least 13 officers nationwide have died over the past 20 years after crashes in which Crown Victorias have caught fire, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. |
Onondaga County Deputy Sheriffs' Police Association President Edward Bragg presents Senator Hoffmann with a model of the department's Crown Victoria patrol car. He's joined by First Vice President Brian Phelps, Second Vice President Shane LaVigne, and Secretary A. Laurence Martin. |
Officers and experts testified before a Senate Committee that the placement of the gas tank in the police Interceptor model makes it susceptible to explosions when struck in the rear by another vehicle. Late last year Trooper Robert Ambrose was killed when his patrol car was hit while he was parked on the side of the Thruway. Ford has retrofitted the State Police fleet with protective shields (and on Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputies cars) but the PBA maintains the best solution would include fire suppression systems, fuel tank bladders, and puncture resistant trunk liners. |