The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office has added a pair of Chevrolet Silverado Police Pursuit Vehicles in order to increase their response capabilities, especially in rural areas or during severe inclement weather.
Chevrolet introduced the truck last year, describing it as a crew-cab, short-bed, four-wheel drive truck “designed for high speeds and dynamic capability with the added comfort and ample storage capacity needed for an everyday patrol vehicle.”
Daviess County Sheriff Brad Youngman said the trucks were assigned to shift supervisors in the DCSO Patrol Division.
“The addition of these unique patrol vehicles goes a long way in rounding out our capabilities as far as a patrol response,” he said. “Much of what we do is on the pavement. However, at times it is important that we are able to respond off the road. The trucks will be used for those needs as well as being used to move equipment and some recovered evidence. Sometimes we recover stolen property such as generators or items that won’t fit very well in a standard vehicle.”
Youngman said the vehicles were included in DCSO’s 2023 annual budget as part of their fleet upgrade and replacement project. Instead of purchasing their standard Dodge Durango Special Service Vehicles for all of the replacements, DCSO opted for two utility pickup trucks.
The trucks feature DCSO updated branding on the sides, with the new logo on top of a pair of slanted green stripes beside the words “Sheriff Daviess County.”
Youngman said the trucks have the same capabilities as other Sheriff’s cruisers such as moving radar, lights, and sirens. There are blue and white flashing police lights located in the grill and on the top of the cab, with blue and amber lights on the rear of the vehicle. There are no red lights.
“We are transitioning to all blue for future vehicles starting with the trucks,” Youngman said. “This is one of the things that the deputies requested when I became Sheriff and we were redesigning the cruiser. Their input on matters is very important to me and when possible I accommodate them.”
Youngman said the trucks were purchased from Bachman Chevrolet for $50,000 each based on state contract. They were outfitted locally at ON Duty Depot, with decals and graphics applied at DMC Graphics.
He said DCSO plans to purchase additional trucks in the future but does not plan to completely switch over. For now, Youngman said, the all-wheel drive Dodge Durango SSV will remain their standard patrol vehicle.
