The Marshall University Police Department now has new equipment that will help it respond to crime faster. MUPD received three new 2014 Ford Explorers recently to replace its older police cruisers. For the past nine years, police officers have driven 2005 Chevy Impalas as their primary cruisers. MUPD Chief Jim Terry said the upgrade is much needed.

“We’ve grown so much,” Terry said. “We’ve had these Impalas for a long time and it was time to revamp our fleet. One of the cruisers we had caught on fire back in October. They were just old and worn out.”

The new Explorers were purchased by Marshall over the summer through a state contract with Ford Motor Company’s fleet production system. The SUVs are equipped with light bars, cage partitions and radio equipment. Terry said the new cars will help increase call response time.

“When I started here, we only had one car,” Terry said. “Now our police force has grown, along with the school, and the Explorers will get us to our calls quicker. What people don’t realize is that we not only patrol the main Huntington campus, but we also have to make trips to patrol places like the medical school, the new visual arts school and the pharmacy school.”

The three new cruisers will be split between the morning, evening and night shifts. Terry said the officers during each shift work on a rotational system, which allows one cruiser per shift to be in operation.

“We like to be on a rotation,” Terry said. “This allows us to be more places, rather than all of the officers driving around. Some of our officers are on bikes, others are on foot patrol and one officer will use the cruiser, so we’re in all areas. When needed, our officers can and will use more than one cruiser during the same shift, but they will have to go through the shift commander.”

The new police cars went into operation over the Thanksgiving holiday. Terry said the department will keep one of the 2005 Chevy Impalas as a backup vehicle.

Tim Carrico can be contacted at carrico26@ marshall.edu.