Clarks Summit police welcome new vehicle

CLARKS SUMMIT - The police department’s vehicle fleet just got a little sleeker, stealthier and speedier thanks to a $35,000 grant from the state.

The department is set to roll out its newest addition, an umarked 2013 gray Ford Interceptor police vehicle, in the coming days. The all-wheel-drive car has a turbocharged engine and tops out around 148 miles per hour, according to the police. .

“We’re going to do most of our traffic enforcement with it,” said Joe Laguzzi, Clarks Summit chief of police. “It has a turbo package in it. It’s like a whole different level of options.”

The car will be used to enforce speed limits and DUI laws, he added.

Yarns and borough manager Virginia Kehoe secured a grant from the state for the car with some assistance from State Sen. John Blake, Kehoe said.

“Being able to land a grant is tough these days,” Laguzzi said. “Any kind of help financially you can get from the state is huge.”

“We’re going to put it to good use,” he added.

“We got some good grant work,” Mayor Harry Kelly said. “As far as vehicles go, we’re coming along. We’re pretty well stocked now.

“We have a pretty good fleet,” Kelly added before taking going on a test drive with the chief.

The Interceptor replaces a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria, which had more than 100,000 miles on it. The new car is expected to enter service once it is fitted with a police radio, Yarns said.

In addition to its ability to rocket down a highway at high speed, the car also has other features, including bullet-resistant material lining parts of the car’s body. Carmaker Ford consulted a panel police officers when designed the Interceptor, Yarns said. He added that Clarks Summit is one of the first departments in the region to have an Interceptor on its fleet.

The grant for the new police vehicle comes on the heels of a separate $20,000 grant the department received last month for scales designed to weigh commercial vehicles. The scales are expected to arrive in the spring, when the department will begin its commercial vehicle safety enforcement campaign.