Car-Per-Officer Up For City Council Approval

City Council is expected to approve purchase of additional vehicles for the Casper Police Department at its regular meeting Tuesday.

Described as a Car-Per-Officer Program, Casper PD requested funds earlier in the year to bring the city department in line with most other major cities in Wyoming.

The program, while an expensive initial investment, is expected to save the city in the long run.

Casper Police Chief, Chris Walsh, says the million dollar investment from one cent funds should pay for itself through savings in maintenance, fuel and officer time.

"A car per officer;  The vehicles last longer, they're better maintained.  We will get better gas mileage, because we're switching from big V-8 engines to V-6 engines. So, maintenance, fuel, repair, all those things are improved."

He suggests potential yearly savings of close to 90,000 dollars.

Walsh says, assuming the purchase is approved, the additional 42 patrol vehicles are expected to start showing up on the streets over the next three to six months.