By Hillary Cagey, Puyallup Tribal News
In a groundbreaking move, Puyallup Tribal Police recently added four Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles (EVs) to its fleet.
These sleek, high-performance cars are not your typical police cruisers, but they represent a strategic shift toward sustainability and climate-conscious law enforcement.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E police cars are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including advanced safety features and have a range of 282 miles on a full charge. With zero tailpipe emissions, they offer a cleaner alternative to a traditional gasoline-powered patrol vehicle.
The new cars come after Puyallup Tribal Council took an important step passing Resolution No. 101219 in 2019, which officially declared a climate emergency and committed the Puyallup Tribe to taking meaningful actions to address climate change within the community.
After Tribal Council approved the purchase of the four new police vehicles, Puyallup Tribal Police Chief Joe Duenas decided on electrical vehicles to stay in line with the resolution.
“I put (in the strategic plan) that we will try to conserve and go with electrical vehicles,’” Duenas said.
Having never had electrical vehicles as part of its fleet before, Duenas and the police department are gathering data on each vehicle in order to use them to their maximum capabilities.
“We’re working on how it’s going to be used in our department,” he said. “We’re going to do a short little procedure with the vehicles on how we charge, when we charge. We’re documenting everything that we’re doing right now.”
With just four electrical vehicles at the moment, Duenas is hoping they’ll be able to add more to the Tribal Police fleet in the future.
