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Police report 46 replacement patrol vehicles arriving; upfitting backlog delays deployment
Summary
The Shreveport Police Department told the public safety committee it has received 46 replacement patrol vehicles but limited local vendor capacity and multi‑phase upfitting means only a few are in service; the city also owns three surveillance trailers now used to deter illegal dumping and moved to cover events.
Shreveport Police Chief Smith told the Public Safety Committee the department has received 46 replacement patrol vehicles but that a multi‑step upfitting backlog has delayed putting most of them into service.
Chief Smith said 46 vehicles were scheduled in the shipment (40 received in November, six in December), one remained undelivered, and that the department is working through graphics, radio installation, cage and computer installs and camera integration with vendors. He reported that 32 vehicles have radios installed, 11 have been fully upfitted and four are currently in service.
Council members asked whether the incoming units are replacements or additional take‑home vehicles. Chief Smith said they are replacements for units that were crashed or taken out of service and that none of the incoming shipment were designated as new take‑home vehicles; the department remains short of the number of vehicles that would fully meet take‑home needs.
“The cost of 1 cruiser is about 67 to 70 thousand dollars from purchasing the vehicle and all the equipment that has to go in it,” Chief Smith said, explaining why totaled vehicles represent a substantial equipment loss.
The committee also discussed mobile surveillance trailers. Chief Smith said the city owns three trailers and has access to a fourth; one has been placed on a North Market lot after crews saw repeated illegal dumping there and, he said, dumping stopped after the trailer was deployed. The trailers are also relocated for large public events such as the Mardi Gras parades.
Council members and police noted that limited local vendor capacity for upfitting — multiple agencies in the region are using the same vendors — is a bottleneck. Chief Smith said the department prefers to use local vendors when possible but may have to look beyond the region to accelerate the process.
The committee approved the minutes of the Nov. 22 meeting by voice vote earlier in the session (motion and second not specified in the transcript).
