Seventy-four percent of Americans say new cars are unaffordable, but it’s not just individuals who are also feeling the squeeze. Even the Illinois State Police think cars are too expensive, according to Capitol News Illinois. Over 1,000 cruisers are currently overdue for replacement, but like so many of us, ISP simply can’t afford to replace them.
The Illinois Department of Central Management Services recommends that vehicles in the ISP fleet be replaced every eight years or 150,000 miles, but it’s taking much longer, ISP Director Brenden Kelly told a Senate appropriations committee last month.
“At this rate with this funding mechanism we have, it will take about 18 years to replace our fleet,” Kelly said. “So while we’re not expecting a miracle in terms of some legislation to solve that for us permanently, we recognize that we’re going to have to continue to, piecemeal, find those sources of funding where they can be found.”
The rising cost of vehicles is the most obvious problem, but it’s not the only one. Kelly says the main problem is that State Police Vehicle Fund has not been funded enough to keep up with rising costs. While lawmakers have appropriated $30 million to the fund each year since 2024, the actual amount available has been a fraction of this amount. That comes from a $1 fee on all license plates, plus the sale of retired police cars. This income typically hovers around $11 and $12 million, but sank to just $7 million last year. It may sound like a lot of money, but when a fully outfitted police car costs $120,000, that $7 million will only buy 58 cruisers of the 1,067 currently overdue for replacement. That also doesn’t take into account replacing perfectly good cars that are destroyed in the line of duty.
The opposite extreme
Kansas, however, has taken a completely different approach to managing its Highway Patrol fleet. Rather than running its cruisers into the ground longer and farther than ever before, it has maintained a strict 50,000-mile limit since the 1990s, reports Government Fleet. Despite the rising cost of vehicles, this policy is still working today.
A Kansas state trooper can rack up 50,000 miles in just 12 to 18 months. That means the car is still quite new, holds a great deal of its value, and can be resold for a whole lot more than your typical 179,900-mile Dodge Charger. Many of KHP’s early retirement cruisers don’t go to auction, but are sold to other police departments with all of their emergency equipment included. That saves KHP the hassle of removing the lights, sirens, and other equipment for civilian sales, and gives other departments a deal on a fairly new car with a lot of life left.
Another big savings is in maintenance and repairs. There aren’t many in the first 50,000 miles, and the warranty covers many unexpected issues. That saves a lot of money on big ticket items, like transmission replacements, that most police cars experience later in life. Of course, it takes a proactive approach and a major investment of taxpayer dollars to get a fleet to this point. AÂ portion of Kansas title fees also helps buy new cars, but higher profits from selling newer vehicles accounts for a significant part of that budget. Unfortunately, Illinois doesn’t have this option with its older, high-mile fleet.
