Crown Vics join fleet

From Staff Reports

Pea Ridge Police are benefiting from the generosity of a neighboring city. Bentonville gave three Crown Victorias that were going to be retired to Pea Ridge, according to Pea Ridge Police Chief Ryan Walker.

"It's a huge help to our city. It helps us put our officers in a little newer cars," Walker said. "It sure beats something with 118,000 miles," he said referring to the Impala an officer was driving. Pea Ridge City Council approved selling two vehicles, both Impalas, for surplus.

The Bentonville City Council declared the three vehicles as surplus in February. One was a 2008 model and the other two were 2009 models. All three were replaced with Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicles that were budgeted in 2015.

"We're very appreciative of the city of Bentonville and the police chief."

"I would take an '08 Crown Vic over an Impala any day. The Crown Vic is the work horse," Walker said.

There are 18 cars in the Pea Ridge fleet; two will be auctioned off. He plans to keep the white Durango for a detective who works part-time. He said there will be three spare vehicles after the two Impalas are auctioned off.

The three vehicles were used by Bentonville police as marked patrol cars and were equipped with light bars, sirens, partitions, hard-back seats and other law enforcement equipment, according to Bentonville Police Chief Jon Simpson. The cars were transferred to Pea Ridge with the equipment intact.