The police force will be the first department in River Forest with an electric vehicle following action by the Village Board Dec. 16.
Trustees voted 5-0 to authorize the purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet Blazer electric police pursuit vehicle for $55,287 from Currie Motors Commercial Center in Frankfurt. The purchase was approved without discussion as part of the consent agenda. Trustee Ken Johnson did not attend. It will be used as an unmarked car for officers.
Although the purchase price is less than the $65,407 listed in the capital equipment replacement fund budget, the balance will be used for the purchase of specialized police emergency vehicle equipment and up-fitting labor, according to police Chief Jim O’Shea. The up-fitting and specialized equipment will be purchased and installed upon taking delivery of the vehicle, he added.
Delivery is expected in four months but the vehicle will not be on the street until May. An additional 30 days will be needed for the up-fitting. Officers will not need specialized training but familiarity with charging protocols and button/controls layout.
“We are thrilled to welcome our first electric vehicle to the village fleet,” village President Cathy Adduci said. “We are always focused on providing our first responders with the best tools available to keep our community safe, and it is even better that we can do this in a sustainable way.
“This is also an important step toward achieving Electric Vehicle Ready Community Gold designation with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.”
The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus started the EV Readiness program in 2022 to prepare to meet the growing demand for EVs and EV charging infrastructure. Municipalities that joined the program received free technical assistance and training in a variety of critical areas as they worked toward the designation of “EV Ready Community.” River Forest applied for and was accepted into the second cohort, which officially began in August 2023. Local government members of the EV Readiness cohorts follow a pathway toward EV Ready bronze, silver or gold by completing a number of actions presented in the EV Readiness checklist.
In a memo to Matt Walsh, village administrator, O’Shea said the Blazer is all-wheel drive vehicle and will continue to allow versatility in inclement weather conditions. This will be the first all-electric vehicle in the River Forest vehicle fleet, across all village departments.
“The Blazer will serve both as a primary tactical enforcement vehicle and investigative surveillance vehicle, equipped with covert emergency lights and capable of carrying a myriad of specialized first responder and emergency related equipment,” he said. “The all-electric Blazer will support the village’s sustainability goals while maintaining the operational readiness of the police fleet.”
O’Shea described the vehicle as an “administrative/plain clothes” type car that will not have to support a full complement of electronics or prisoner cage.
Staff members recommended the purchase after researching the limited available stock of police rated vehicles, which are generally not part of locally relied upon purchasing contracts, he said. Currie Motors is “a long time and preferred police vehicle dealer for the village,” he added. He noted that a dealer-issued $1,500 credit was given and staff members will also seek to apply for and claim any available electric vehicle rebates, credits or grants.
He said staff members have been researching e-vehicles for at least two years, anticipating advancements in technology and durability.
“At this juncture, we felt the new Chevy product was ready to purchase for unmarked/plain clothes operations based on industry testing,” O’Shea said. “We are still waiting for an e-vehicle which meets the prisoner compartment and equipment storage needs of the police department.
“We will be evaluating the feasibility of electric police vehicles with this car, specifically for River Forest needs and patrol operations.”
He said testing by the Michigan state police of the Blazer EV versus the gas police Tahoe, Explorer and Silverado showed it was among lowest projected stopping distance of all squads tested and found to stop in a straight line without fading or changing lanes in a skid. It has a “very low chassis” with a 50/50 front to rear weight distribution that translates to a car that is “really stable and glued to the ground.” The Blazer EV supports multiple charging levels and can add up to an estimated 71 miles of range in just 10 minutes and 273 miles per a full charge. The EV batteries include an 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty.