Skip to main content

There are all sorts of squad cars on the market for police departments to invest in, despite the Ford Interceptor being the most popular. Recently, one police department in Indiana issued a blistering letter calling out Dodge and Stellantis. Specifically, the police chief spoke about the Dodge Durango SUVs they bought that happened to experience several mechanic issues. This got in the way of police traffic stops and protecting the community.

This police department is upset over its failed squad cars

Naturally, squad cars are a significant part of any police department’s budget because they are integral to traffic stops. However, what happens when they get stuck with faulty vehicles? According to Fox 32, this is what happened in Merriville, Indiana. Recently, the Merriville Police Chief, Konstantinos Nuses, issued an open letter to his community in which he spoke about the failed vehicles. 

In the letter, he expressed frustration that the Dodge Durango squad cars weren’t suitable enough to protect the community’s citizens. Instead, police officers experienced several mechanic breakdowns while on patrol and pursuing criminals. 

According to the letter, “It is heartbreaking to acknowledge that we cannot provide the reliable service you deserve when our vehicles are prone to unexpected breakdowns in the line of duty.”

Like many departments, Merriville typically uses the Ford Interceptor for its squad cars. However, due to severe supply chain issues, they could not get them between 2020 and 2023, so they went with the Dodge Durango Pursuit vehicles. The police chief continued in the letter, “Unfortunately, what began as a hopeful solution has turned into a profound disappointment.”

He states that the department started to experience issues with the new squad cars in late 2022. Apparently, there were issues with the oil coolers in the vehicles, which caused engine problems. Notably, many of the cars had below 15,000 miles. Now, they might be forced to sell them at a “significant loss.” However, they are also seeking help from the Attorney General 

Best in News
Avatar photo
MotorBiscuit Contributor

Barnell Anderson

Barnell Anderson joined the MotorBiscuit team in 2023. After earning a Master of Arts in English from Louisiana Tech University, Barnell found his way into automotive journalism. He’s been writing about the automotive industry since 2021, creating vehicle comparisons and discussing reliability and vehicle safety ratings for various outlets, including HotCars and SlashGear.