Until the V.I. Police Department on St. Croix receives a shipment of new patrol cars some time in December, police union officials say the public can expect officers to respond to calls slowly and in a variety of vehicles.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Arthur Hector, president of the St. Croix Law Enforcement Supervisors Union, said the department is "working with a bare minimum of vehicles."
The department’s equipment woes are twofold: Problems with the chassis of Chevrolet Blazer patrol vehicles have sidelined most of the fleet and the fact that patrol vehicles cannot be driven once they have reached a set amount of miles, according to collective bargaining agreements.
To offset the out-of-commission patrol cars, vehicles from the department’s Highway Safety Division are being used as well as using vehicles from other government departments.
Naomi Joseph, president of the St. Croix Police Benevolent Association, said that residents shouldn’t be surprised to see officers driving a variety of vehicles.
"We’re driving black, green, pink and orange, all different color cars," she said.
Hector said driving unmarked cars of different departments can be dangerous for officers when they arrive to a call, especially at night.
"It’s a dangerous situation for us," he said. "You don’t know it’s the police."
So as not to alert criminals on the island, St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis on Thursday declined to say exactly how many vehicles were off the road. But he acknowledged that the department does have an "inadequate number of vehicles right now."
He did say vehicles from the Traffic, K-9 and Special Operations Divisions are being used as patrol cars.
"We do have vehicles," Francis said. "It’s not like the streets are unpatroled and are like the wild west."
He said representatives from General Motors were on St. Croix last week and inspected the Blazers, which did have cracked chassis. But until a report is completed there hasn’t been a decision on a plan of action.
A shipment of 15 new Chevrolet Impala patrol cars, packaged specifically for police use, is expected on island but not for 12 to 15 weeks, Francis said.
In the meantime, Joseph said residents can expect slow response times to their calls, but that they should "be patient with the police officers."
"We’re trying to do the best we can," Francis said. "The entire government is hurting."
