Seniors on the Chula Vista Police Department’s senior volunteer patrol unit donate their time daily to assist the Chula Vista Police Department in serving the citizens of Chula Vista.
But last month the senior group was on the receiving end as Fuller Ford donated a much-needed vehicle to the program.
The extra reinforcement helps, especially when the Senior Volunteer Patrol’s ability to assist the CVPD had been hampered for several months because they were down a car.
“They were short a vehicle because one of their engines had blown up,” said Lt. Vern Sallee. “They had more volunteers than they had vehicles to do their patrols with.”
With the addition of this new car the Senior Volunteer Patrol now has six cars in service.
Traditionally, the Senior Volunteer Patrol would get a retired police car that had served out its life for the department.
Typically, a car is given to senior volunteers when it reaches 80,000 to 100,000 miles, but because of the economic downturn a few years ago, the Chula Vista Police Department’s budget to buy new vehicles was affected, and they had to use their cars longer than usual.
Now when the Senior Volunteer Patrol finally receives a car from police department, the vehicles are nearly run down, with more than 120,000 miles on them.
“So we didn’t have vehicles to pass down to the senior volunteers, hence their cars started getting worse and worse,” said Sallee. As part of his duties as a lieutenant, Salle is responsible for managing the department’s fleet.
He, along with police chief David Bejarano, devised a plan to address that need.
That included reaching out to the community as they sought a white, four-door, gas-efficient vehicle.
Fuller Ford responded to the call and donated a used fully serviced Ford Fusion.
“It’s a little bit different than driving the big cars but it’s working quite well for us,” said Dick Kiehl, an administrator for the Senior Volunteer Patrol.
The market price for the used Ford Fusion, which had logged 82,000 miles, was $9,500.
Kiehl said the car doesn’t have as much legroom as the Crown Victorias but it still gets the job done.
“It’s a little bit cramped to be honest with you but it’s not a problem,” he said.
The car has been used to help ticket individuals who are illegally parked in handicap zones, it is also used when people request that their homes get checked on while on vacation and for calls from elderly people who live alone and need to be checked on.
Sallee said not only is the car in good condition but it is fuel-efficient too as the average driving distance for a senior volunteer patrol is 35 miles a day.
To fully outfit the car, a police radio, an amber light and senior volunteer graphics were installed on the Ford Fusion.
Salle said the donated vehicle just shows how the community can come together and help law enforcement do its job better.
“We think that it’s a really good example of a community partnership and a business supporting not just the mission of the police department but the mission of the volunteers within the police department,” he said.
