U. Police get three new cars

University Police will get three new "top of the line" marked patrol cars today, University Police commissioner John Kuprevich said last night. "They won't be put into service until next week," he said, "[because] they have to be outfitted." But once the police decals are affixed, and the radio equipment is installed, the cruisers will replace the three most beat-up cars in the University Police fleet. Some of the patrol cars are running close to 90 thousand miles, according to Kuprevich. The new cars will be 1993 Chevrolet Caprices. They were chosen because they were the first cars University Police could obtain, Kuprevich said. The cars were bought from the state, which intended to sell them to a municipality. The municipality, however, did not claim the cars, so University Police seized the opportunity. The cars are being purchased as much of the force's fleet is out of commission. Monday night, University Police had only two operational marked cars on the streets. Kuprevich says, however, that patrols have been regular in spite of the lack of working equipment. He said the cars will give much needed help to the officers' morale. "I think it will be a positive uplift for the police officers," he said. "It's always nice to get a new clean car that drives nicely, because that is their office for the day." Kuprevich said he is glad University Police obtained the vehicles because it is important to use marked vehicles as opposed to unmarked cars. Although the response is the same, marked police cars also provide a visible deterrent, he said. And although he originally planned on getting just two cars, Kuprevich said he decided University Police would need three. "It was time to turn over some of our fleet," he said. "The impact is for officers, having the right kinds of equipment to do their job."