Uniontown obtains SUV for police
Uniontown police have a new vehicle at their disposal thanks, in part, to a grant secured through the U.S. Department of Justice. Police Chief Jason A. Cox said the Ford Expedition, which was secured primarily with grant money, is a welcome addition to the city’s fleet of police vehicles.
“The SUV will give us a greater ability to respond to incidents during snow storms in the winter months and it also provides us with additional space that could be needed for critical incidents in the city,” Cox said.
The Expedition is one of several new police vehicles in Uniontown after the department slowly retired their old fleet of Chevrolet Impalas and replaced them with new Ford Interceptors over the past year.
Department officers also utilize several unmarked vehicles and have a Jeep Liberty outfitted for K9 Officer Michael C. Garrow Sr. and police dog Leo, Cox said.
“We have increased the number of patrol vehicles we have at our disposal in conjunction with our increase in manpower,” Cox said. “With the support of Mayor Ed Fike, we have been able to bolster our roster to include a compliment of more than 20 police officers and as such we are better able to combat criminal activity in Uniontown and also more able to conduct enforcement programs to try and curtail criminal activity from occurring.”
The force has increased from 14 active officers last summer to 19 this year, Cox said.
During that time, the city’s crime rate has remained high with officers responding to about 1,000 calls for service per month.