Area police departments are taking steps to ensure their police cruisers are safe for police officers and other passengers in the wake of news that carbon monoxide may be leaking into vehicles’ cabins.
Many police chiefs have resorted to purchasing carbon monoxide detectors for their Ford Explorer and Interceptor SUV model cruisers — a modified version of the Ford Explorer for police use — to ensure unsafe levels of carbon monoxide are not present.
“We have no reports of symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning at this time,” said Jaffrey Police Chief William Oswalt, who said four of the department’s five cruisers are part of the SUVs in question. “We are working to be proactive about this issue.”
Ford Motor Company has released two press releases in the past few weeks, reporting that their engineering teams are working with law enforcement agencies to address said carbon monoxide concerns, already working with more than a dozen police agencies nationwide to inspect and repair more than 50 vehicles in places like Auburn, Massachusetts and Galveston, Texas.
In an Aug. 8 press release, Ford said their investigation into the matter continues, but inspections have shown that fumes may be entering the cabin of the vehicles due to holes drilled to install aftermarket equipment after the vehicles had left the factory lot.
In the interim, Oswalt said the department has purchased carbon monoxide detectors typically found in peoples’ homes, but he is still researching models that are for vehicle use, or models that could be placed on a person.
Ford has said it will cover the costs of fixing the matter in every Police Interceptor Utility that may have a potential leak, regardless of age, mileage, or aftermarket modifications made.
Ford will seal off holes where exhaust fumes may enter, provide new air conditioning calibration that brings more fresh air in to the cab during heavy acceleration, and check for engine codes that could indicate a damaged exhaust manifold.
“I was a little surprised when I read they will cover the cost, that’s a hell of a deal,” said Oswalt, who said he is unsure of the next steps when it comes to getting his vehicles fixed.
The issue has received a lot of national attention after the Austin, Texas police department pulled all 446 of their Ford SUVs from service a few weeks ago, as more than 60 officers had reported health problems since February, according to the Washington Post. More than 20 were found to have measurable carbon monoxide in their system.
More recently, Auburn, Massachusetts police reported that one of their 2017 police cruisers had been involved in a minor accident after the officer behind the wheel had been affected by carbon monoxide exposure, according to the New York Times.
Dublin Police Chief Tim Suokko brought the issue up to his town’s Selectmen during their meeting on Aug. 7, saying he has not been aware of any officer-related issues in Dublin. Suokko said the department’s two cruisers were purchased in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
“We aren’t aware of any issues, but we are in the process of ordering CO detectors to monitor the inside of the vehicles,” said Suokko.
Dublin Selectman Dale Gabel asked Suokko at the meeting to have a mechanic check the exhaust during routine maintenance to ensure there are no cracks, another issue that has been brought up as a potential concern.
Antrim Police Chief Scott Lester said his department has also installed carbon monoxide sensors into the two suspect vehicles in his fleet, which were bought in 2012 and 2013.
Lester said installing carbon monoxide detectors is more of a precaution, as he feels confident that the person who installs aftermarket equipment on his cruisers is properly plugging any hole he drills.
“We’ve been using the same installer for a while now,” said Lester, who said he contracts through a Bennington man that works for Belltronics out of Nashua. “We’re confident that he seals everything up. Still, we’re trying to jump out ahead of this.”
While there have been reports of exhaust odors in some non-police Explorer models, Ford has said that those instances are unrelated and that drivers of non-police Ford Explorers have no reason to be concerned.
If a vehicle has such an odor, Ford is recommending that customers bring their vehicles to a Ford dealer to address the issue.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.