PORT TOWNSEND — Port Townsend’s officers in blue are becoming a little greener.
The city police department replaced one of its 2002 Chevy Tahoe SUVs with a new 2008 Chevy Malibu Hybrid costing $22,000, on Wednesday.
“We’re quite excited about it,” Port Townsend Police Sgt. Ed Green said.
“We like the idea of having a vehicle contributing to conserving energy, and we believe it will pay off even more than we expect in the long run.”
The hybrid sedan is expected to get an average of 24 miles per gallon in city driving, and an average of 32 miles per gallon on the highways.
That’s an improvement over the mileage of the Tahoe SUV, Green said.
Port Townsend police volunteers have been using a small Chrysler Global Electric Motorcar since 2003, Green said, “but this will be our first hybrid vehicle for officers.”
Port Townsend is the first city on the North Olympic Peninsula to receive a hybrid car for its police department.
It’s the second to make a hybrid investment for its police department.
