Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Harlan City Police Department is in the process of updating their police vehicles, adding a pair of brand-new cruisers to the department’s rolling stock recently.

Harlan City Police Chief Winston Yeary showed off one of the department’s new vehicles just before a recent Harlan City Council meeting.

“It’s a 2023 Dodge Durango Police Package,” Yeary said. “It’s got several safety features on board.”

According to Yeary, the Dodge Durango features the most room in the back of any police vehicle he has used.
“If you look in the back of most police cruisers, you’ve barely got enough room to get in,” Yeary said.

Yeary pointed out that Durango has a specially designed back seat belt to make placing suspects in the vehicle safer for the officers.

“If you’re putting somebody in, you don’t have to reach over them to get the seat belt,” Yeary said.

Yeary explained the officer does not have to lean over the person in the back to fasten the belt, leaving less of an opportunity for an altercation inside the vehicle.

The Durango is also easier to clean up than other police vehicles should somebody being detained in the back soil the seat.

“It’s a hard seat, and if somebody urinates or vomits, it will wash right out,” Yeary said.

Yeary mentioned the Durango is outfitted with all the safety features available for the vehicle.

“There’s a lockable box to carry equipment and evidence,” Yeary said. “It’s got every safety feature, including a fire extinguisher.”

While the primary purpose of the new vehicles is to benefit the officers on patrol, there are occasionally other avenues to utilize the cruisers.

“We’re going to take them to a charity car show in Whitesburg for police cars,” Yeary said. “It’s called Cruising the Cruisers. We think we stand a good chance of winning.”