The City of New Carlisle recently purchased a new police cruiser for deputies assigned to the city.

The 2016 four-door Ford Explorer will join the fleet of city cruisers, and will be assigned to the deputies working first-shift.

City Manager Randy Bridge said the city’s fleet currently contains three cruisers after one became damaged, but noted that this does not create any shortage of available cruisers in New Carlisle. Bridge said that the 2010 Dodge Charger the city purchased from Moorefield Township caught fire in the wiring for the shotgun lock rack, and the city’s insurance company is still working on the claim.

The new cruiser itself cost around $27,000, and was financed using funds from the Police Levy, Bridge said, thanking the citizens of New Carlisle for supporting the levy and making the new car possible. Bridge said the city paid the $7,000 cost to “outfit” the Explorer in full to P&R Communications, which provided the lights, radios, and other specialized equipment.

He noted that the new cruiser is equipped with additional lights in the back hatch that activate when the deputy opens it, but they can also be switched off for “any incognito activities,” he said.

“I want the vehicle to be visible to our citizens since they passed the levy,” said Bridge. “I want them to see their tax dollars at work.”