Houston accelerates police vehicle procurement after Ford shortens order window

Council members pressed Fleet Director Gary Glasscock on a reported shortage of police patrol vehicles during the May 16 Houston City Council Budget Committee workshop.

Glasscock said manufacturers limited allocations to public agencies following COVID-era supply disruptions and that Houston had been constrained to about 80 patrol car allocations in recent years. He described efforts to obtain additional allotments from Ford and said the department negotiated with other municipalities to secure unused allotments.

"We managed to negotiate with Ford and work to pick up allotments that were not being used by other municipalities," Glasscock said. He told the committee that vehicle deliveries have been delayed in recent years and that the department typically loses roughly 100 patrol vehicles per year—mostly to accidents—which creates an ongoing replacement need.

Glasscock said Ford informed the city on the morning of the workshop that it was closing the order period for patrol cars earlier than expected. He said staff had pulled funding from FY26 to place an earlier order for model‑year 2025 patrol cars to secure earlier delivery at a lower cost, and that procurement staff ("Jed and Marta," as Glasscock named them) were preparing an agenda item to seek council approval at the next meeting so the city could meet Ford’s deadline.

Council Member Ramirez asked how many patrol cars the city "goes through" in a normal year and whether manufacturer production would increase in coming years. Glasscock said the allotments are improving and that "things are actually getting a little better for us," but he did not commit to specific future production schedules.

The committee did not take a formal vote at the workshop. Glasscock said staff were pursuing multiple options to increase the size of the patrol fleet and would present procurement actions to council as needed.