here's an article from my local newspaper that i was of interest. i know its not directly prius related but sure to help out in the whole hybrid scheme of things in this part of the world DM police will try out eight hybrid cars The Honda Accords are part of a pilot program designed to save the city money in the long run. By JOSE DE JESUS REGISTER STAFF WRITER August 25, 2006 Des Moines taxpayers will pay more than $220,000 for eight new hybrid police cars — a move officials said could save thousands of dollars as gasoline prices remain high. Police officials said the eight Honda Accord hybrid vehicles should all be in Des Moines in the next two weeks. The hybrids will be part of a pilot program to evaluate whether such vehicles are more cost-efficient than other police-owned vehicles. "Our cost of gas is going up for city vehicles, which dramatically increases the cost of our ability to perform our job," Police Chief Bill McCarthy said. "We are just looking for ways to reduce those costs." thre rest of the story is here http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll...301/1028/COMM05
Too bad they do not make the Prius in a sedan version so that police can make police cruisers out of it. Hatch backs make it difficult to contain detainees.
NIU Prius Police Cruiser: http://www.niu.edu/northerntoday/2004/june14/gascar.shtml More discussion about the use of hybrids in police work: http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=16525
