Saskatoon police to phase out sedan cruisers for SUVs

The Saskatoon Police Service is phasing out its old sedan police cruisers in favour of larger SUVs.

Currently, they have 32 SUVs and eight sedans, but the issue they’re facing is capacity, safety and comfort according to Deputy Chief Mitch Yuzdepski.

Yuzdepski said the sedans aren’t working from the officers end.

“They’ve become impracticable for policing…all of the gear that the members are required to operate in today’s policing environment, (along with) a matter of capacity. If you look at the size difference between the two, it’s noticeable,” he explained.

Along with officers struggling with the size, they’re also having problems with the back seats of the cruisers. The small containment area poses risks for officers and detainees, according to Yuzdepski.

“It’s really about safety…if you look at the amount of leg room, and the amount of head room, it’s really not practical anymore for a sedan,” he said.

This is the size of the sedan spacing. Yuzdepski said for both officer and detainee, there’s not much room to breathe in the sedans. #yxe #yxecrime pic.twitter.com/LDLP6QzCqR

— brady lang (@BradyLangSK) October 4, 2019

Yuzdepski said the amount of equipment in the car makes it difficult to operate in the sedans. Saskatoon police isn’t alone, he said forces across North America are dealing with the issue.

“They have the same issues with us, with equipment and what they might operate out of—we’re always looking at alternative platforms.”

Yuzdepski describes cruisers as mobile offices for members with all their file work and equipment in the vehicles.

“To operate out of there for 12 hours a day, it’s important that they (vehicles) be practical,” he said.

Saskatoon police will phase out their current fleet of sedans when they reach their life-span of five years, or 200,000 kilometres.