The Miami-Dade Police Department has purchased 642 Ford vehicles for $13.2 million and will finance the purchase over five years as part of a new vehicle replacement plan.

The vehicles consist of marked and unmarked vehicles to be used for investigative and specialized assignments. They consist of 260 Ford Police Interceptor sedans, 248 Ford Fusions, and other Ford sedans, vans, and trucks.

The five-year replacement plan addresses the agency's aging fleet of approximately 3,300 vehicles. About 37% of the vehicles have more than 100,000 miles, which require high maintenance costs and lead to safety concerns. The department has retired more than 270 vehicles without replacement and continues to retire approximately 27 vehicles per month. After this initial purchase, the agency expects to purchase 490 vehicles per year to stay ahead of vehicle attrition and replace aging front-line vehicles, a county spokesperson told Government Fleet.

The vehicles will be delivered over a 10-month period starting in June in increments of 60 to 70 vehicles per month. This will allow vehicles to be equipped and deployed via an assembly-line format that will minimize the use of excess storage space and prolong the vehicle manufacturer warranty maintenance inception dates in line with actual vehicle deployments, according to the agency.

The agency anticipates that these new, more-efficient vehicles will reduce fuel and maintenance costs. The department submitted its order on Feb. 26. Bank of America won the bid to finance the vehicles at an interest rate of 1.41%.

By Thi Dao