Keeping police cars running is crucial for public safety, and government fleet managers strive for low downtime numbers. 

But what happens when your fleet department relies on another department to keep your vehicles coming in and out of the shop in a timely manner?

This was a problem the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department’s fleet management team faced. The police fleet department is a customer agency for the county’s Department of Vehicle Services. 

Relying on an outside department for fleet services limits how much control the agency has over upfitting and maintenance timelines. Fleet Director Akbar Rahyab and Management Analyst Jessica Rhoades came up with a solution.

Using data analysis and coordination between the two departments, the team was able to reduce downtime and upfit times. The duo shared more about their solution at the 2024 Police Fleet Conference at GFX.

Data-Driven Decision Making

To start, the team needed to communicate that there was a clear issue with the existing processes. 

They compiled data from both external sources — such as fleet management software — and internal databases, creating streamlined dashboards that answered questions such as how many vehicles are in service on a daily basis and how many vehicles are down at one time.

The dashboards were created to make it easy to extract data for the end users so they could get an accurate picture of the state of the fleet.

Using data to spotlight the problem allowed the department of vehicle services to get a clear picture of the need for faster turnaround times for maintenance, repairs, and upfits.

This was not just an issue of needing more police cars — it was also about better managing billable hours and decreasing hours where possible.

Upfits, for example, took an average of 85 hours per vehicle.

After analyzing the data, the team realized that at the current pace, it would take 2.5 years to upfit all the vehicles in their inventory and prepare them for police work.

“Data never lies; the data is what it is. It's not my point of view or their point of view. It’s what is actually happening in real time,” Rahyab said.

Additionally, regular preventive maintenance took up to 10 days to be completed in the shop.

“We didn't know this. Nobody from our side or the stakeholders had no idea what was going on. So that really helped us push our point of view to helped us talk to the deputy county executives for our sister agency,” Rahyab said.

While beginning these processes wasn’t easy, it led to action.

“You have to have difficult conversations, because when you lay bare inefficiencies or lay bare and any issues that you see in certain areas, you’ll see results,” Rhoades stressed.

Creating a ‘Cookie-Cutter’ Patrol Car

The team scrutinized every decision made for the fleet to see what could be done to quicken processes. When it came to upfitting, the equipment vehicles received was dependent upon who the officer was driving the vehicle.

“We realized that if we could create a ‘cookie cutter’ status, vehicles should be able to roll out fairly quickly, because they're all built the same,” Rhoades said.

So the team decided to standardize the patrol vehicles.

“It doesn’t matter if you're a sergeant or a second lieutenant; you would be in the same car as the patrol officer,” Rahyab said. “The shop doesn’t don't need to hold five different types of parts. Now they're ordering one console, one control head, and one type of light.”

While the team initially saw pushback from officers, they eventually understood it made the job easier – especially because it meant there was no need to acclimate to a new car setup if they drove a different vehicle for their shift.

“If you could standardize your build and bring that uniformity into your build, it’s going to go a long way. It’s going to improve officer safety because they can jump in any car anytime and they know where all the equipment is,” he added.

Streamlining Existing Processes 

The team was able to decrease build times from 85 hours to 65 hours, a 21% drop. This came from streamlining certain operations.

For example, when Rahyab started this process, decals were completed in house. Decal jobs took about four days per vehicle. The department reached out to a familiar vendor who quoted them three hours per vehicle.

Previously, the upfitter would often have an empty bay because he was waiting for the decal job to be completed. This change allowed the process to move more quickly.

Creating a more efficient workspace also helped cut build times. Previously, getting parts required a trip to the parts room, which took time. 

The team suggested the department put together palettes of parts for vehicles, so they could be rolled between the two shops more easily.

The team also expanded upfitting capabilities by bringing in the county’s radio department, which had previously only installed radios.

Additionally, the team began using outside upfitters to assist with builds. One of the vendors was contracted to upfit if needed, so the agency was able to utilize their services.

The radio shop and outside vendors upfit specialty vehicles, while the internal team upfits patrol vehicles. 

The Value of Peer-to-Peer Relationships

Before bringing in major changes, Rahyab wanted to make sure he had a good report with the technicians. He emphasized the importance of getting to know the people who do the work to keep fleet vehicles running.

“How many times do [we] shake their hand? And I can't make it to every shop on a daily or weekly basis, but we wanted them to know we care,” Rahyab said.

Now, the technicians have a personal relationship both with the fleet management team and even the officers whose vehicles are being worked on.

“[Data analysis technology] can do a lot of stuff for you. But at the end of the day, if you combine that with the relationship with the folks that work on your cars, that’s tremendous,” Rahyab added.

Likewise, it’s important to remember who the fleet customers driving the vehicles are.

Since improving these processes, Rahyab has heard directly from officers about the improvements, with many of them taking notice that there are new cars on the road.

“As fleet managers and as servants to those officers, we feel that we have to fight for them in every aspect,” Rahyab said.