It appears the Oxford Village Police Department could replace one of its aging, high-mileage patrol cars with a brand new Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).

Chief Mike Solwold is expected to bring information back to council at its Jan. 23 meeting regarding the possibility of purchasing a Chevy Tahoe.

He approached council last week about the “desperate need,” as he called it in a Jan. 3 memo, to replace one of the department’s five patrol vehicles.

Currently, the agency has two Ford Crown Victorias (a 2008 with 114,000 miles and a 2009 with 124,000 miles), a 2012 Chevy Impala with 73,000 miles, and two Dodge Chargers, a 2013 with 77,000 miles and a 2015 with 35,000 miles.

“Due to the constant repair of older vehicles,” wrote Solwold in his memo, the $5,000 budgeted for vehicle maintenance “has been completely used.”

“It’s either keep these other vehicles alive and keep spending the money or we purchase another vehicle to help try to shave those (repair) costs as well as (enhance) efficiency and safety for the officers,” the chief told council.

Solwold recommended buying an SUV because they’re safer, larger, handle weather conditions better and have a higher resale value.

He looked into the Chevy Tahoe, Dodge Durango and Ford Explorer. Because the Tahoe costs more than $35,000, the cost-conscious chief focused more on the Durango and Explorer, which are approximately $27,000.

“After (researching) multiple police departments, the Ford Explorer won hands down (in terms of) officer safety and performance,” he wrote.

Councilman Erik Dolan agreed the necessity for a new vehicle is there. He said the age and mileage of the current fleet is “almost unprecedented.”

“It’s not a matter of whether we should. We don’t have a choice,” he said.

Based on his experience as an officer with the Oak Park Public Safety Department since 1996, Dolan recommended the Tahoe.

“Typically, I’m looking to save a buck, but not in this instance,” he said.

According to Dolan, “there are innumerable problems with the Ford Explorer,” including “warping (cylinder) heads” and “poor resale” value. He also has issues with the braking system and frame.

Dolan said the Ferndale Police Department has a number of Explorers and “they have had nothing but problems.”

“The (price) difference between the Explorer and the Tahoe is eaten up in several years by maintenance,” he said. “The Explorers are in nonstop for maintenance. My concern is since we don’t have an in-house mechanic, the (cost) difference would be evaporated a year after the warranty wore out.”

Comfort is another consideration, in Dolan’s mind, since village officers often have a reserve officer riding with them.

“Two officers are not going to fit in an Explorer comfortably. They’re just not,” he said.

Although the Tahoe costs a lot more than the Explorer, Dolan said that has to be balanced against the fact that “the vehicle’s going to run for 125,000 miles, plus.”

“I would suggest to council that we look beyond the Explorer and outfit our department with the best and purchase the Chevy Tahoe for the increased amount,” he said.

Solwold reiterated he chose to look into the Durango and Explorer because the Tahoe was so much more expensive.

“I just didn’t think that it was going to be anywhere in our (price) range,” he said.

Solwold indicated he’s more than happy to research the Tahoe and report back.

Councilman Joe Frost said he doesn’t believe in skimping when it comes to the police department. “I think we should get you the equipment that you and your team needs,” he told Solwold. “We shouldn’t be cheap on that, so to speak.

“We need to be wise with our finances, obviously, but if we can keep our officers safe and our citizens safe with a better vehicle, I’m in full support.”