NORWICH – Following weeks of deliberation, the city council approved the purchase of two new cruisers for the Norwich City Police Department and residents can expect to see them patrolling the city in the coming months.

The new cruisers were ordered in the amount of $22,900 to replace two other police cruisers still in use. Common wear and tear on the old cruisers has become problematic and led to costly repairs, said Police Chief Joseph Angelino, and they will be retired when the new vehicles arrive.

“These cars are tools that we all use day and night,” said Angelino, noting that the police cars generally run for approximately 19 of 24 hours of the day. “A lot of what we do to our cars would be considered abuse of any other vehicle,” he added.

The biggest concern with the purchase, explained Angelino, is that the new cars are a first year design. The auto manufacturer Ford no longer makes the Crown Victoria model car, which has been used by the NPD over the last 17 years. The company now offers a new model, the Ford Taurus, in place of the Crown Victoria. The problem is that it’s uncertain how much equipment will be transferrable from one car to the next, Angelino said.