ASHEVILLE, NC - The Vestavia Hills, Ala., Police Department recently converted 14 cruisers to run on propane autogas. The department outfitted their Ford Crown Victorias with bi-fuel systems and installed an on-site autogas station to give officers easy fueling access. Vestavia expects to save significantly on fuel costs, according to a release from Alliance Autogas.

According to Alliance Autogas, other law enforcement fleets converting to propane autogas include:

• The Jackson County, Ga., Sheriff's Office outside Atlanta is saving between $110,000-145,000 annually after converting 60 squad cars to autogas.

• The Raleigh, N.C., Police Department has converted 10 patrol cars, yielding an estimated annual savings of at least $30,000 in fuel costs and displacing 30,000 to 36,000 gallons of gasoline.

• The Iredell County, N.C., Sheriff's Office has converted 13 cruisers to autogas by combining grant funds with confiscated assets from drug busts.

• The West Point, Miss., Police Department has converted eight fleet vehicles. It expects the clean-burning autogas engines to last longer than conventional gasoline engines, with estimated savings of $26,000 annually.

• The Augusta County, Va., Sheriff's Office expects to cut fuels costs by $15,000 per year after converting eight cruisers to run on autogas.