Acton Police recently took delivery of its first hybrid marked cruiser as it looks to save both money and reducing its carbon footprint. (Courtesy Photos/Acton Police Department)

ACTON -- Chief Richard Burrows is pleased to announce that the Acton Police Department this week received its first hybrid marked police cruiser, and it expects to take delivery a second in March as the department works to transition its entire fleet into green vehicles.

Each brand new hybrid 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility is expected to save at least 1,250 gallons of fuel per year -- more than $3,000 per year in fuel costs -- when they enter service. In addition to significant cost savings, the hybrid vehicles will help the Acton Police Department and the Town of Acton reduce their carbon footprint. Each hybrid cruiser used by a police department is projected to result in 22,000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year.

"The Acton Police Department has the opportunity to go green and save significant fuel costs over the next several years as hybrid vehicles have evolved," Chief Burrow said. "The new generation of hybrid police cruisers promise the power, safety, and reliability needed by law enforcement agencies."

The new hybrid Police Interceptor is the first-ever pursuit-rated hybrid SUV. With the power and safety features of a traditional all-gas cruisers with a fraction of the emissions, they are viewed as the future of law enforcement fleets.

In addition to better overall fuel economy, the new hybrid cruiser also reduces engine idle time by allowing on-board electronic devices in a police cruiser using the car’s hybrid battery, allowing the gasoline engine to shut off for extended periods of time.

The Acton Police Department operates a fleet of 13 marked cruisers for patrol, and Chief Burrows has indicated that the department will continue to buy hybrid cruisers until all of the vehicles are replaced over the next several years. The hybrid marked cruisers join other green vehicles in the Acton Police Department, including its 2019 Ford Fusion Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) that is used for administrative tasks and an all-electric Zero motorcycle that was donated to the department by Bursaw Gas & Oil last year.

The move to green police vehicles marries well with a number of green initiatives put in place in the Town of Acton, according to Town Manager John Mangiaratti, including:

• The Board of Selectmen adopted an Environmental Sustainability Policy on December 10, 2018
• Acton and the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District received nearly $140,000 in state Green Communities grants last year to install LED lights in public safety, recreation, and school buildings
• The Town recently approved the construction of a triple net-zero elementary school and net-zero ready fire station. Both buildings will utilize geothermal wells and electric for heating/cooling and will not be connected to natural gas
• The town is a member of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and also works closely with local environmental advocacy groups
• Acton is one of 19 communities in the country to participate as part of the ICLEI Sustainability Planning Cohort
• The Acton Green Advisory Board recently completed a greenhouse gas (GHG) report to establish an inventory and analysis of the carbon footprint of the community
• Acton recently installed a Chargepoint Electric Vehicle station behind town hall, and the town has received a $12,500 grant from the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program to install a second charging station in the rear parking lot of Town Hall
• The building and health divisions have both a plug-in hybrid ford fusion and a hybrid ford escape used for inspections
• Acton’s energy aggregation program called Acton Power Choice uses a baseline of 26% green energy and also includes a 100% option

For more information, visit the Acton Town Website.

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