Police departments across the country are installing carbon monoxide detectors in Ford Police Interceptors after numerous officers have become sick while driving the popular police cruiser.
The Leominster (MA) Police Department is one agency that has looked at the problem and tested each of their 13 Ford Police Interceptors.
In one cruiser, they found a hole drilled into the back to facilitate aftermarket modifications wasn’t properly sealed, and the cruiser’s cabin registered a “minor hit on the CO meter” of about 9 parts per million, said Interim Police Chief Michael Goldman.
Chelmsford police’s Ford Escape cruisers also tested for carbon monoxide in their cabins last week, Police Chief James Spinney said.
Chelmsford police bought 20 monoxide detectors at $100 each, one for each of 12 Ford Escapes, and the remainder for backup.
The Lowell Sun reports that Tyngsboro Police Chief Richard Howe said his department also purchased detectors “out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our officers,” installing the devices in six of Tyngsboro’s cruisers at a cost of about $30 per unit.