11.6 F
Schenectady
Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Local Dealership Donates Electric Car to Schenectady Police Department

spot_img
spot_img

SCHENECTADY ⁢— A‌ significant contribution⁢ is being made to the Schenectady Police​ Department by‌ the Metro ‌Ford dealership on State Street. They are⁤ generously donating a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E to the department.

The electric vehicle will ‌be‍ put to good use ‌by the department’s community engagement ​officers‌ who are stationed at Schenectady City School ‍District buildings.

According​ to Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford, Sgt. Charles Rumsfeld of Schenectady had been in touch ⁢with‌ several dealerships in the area ⁤about potential vehicle donations. Metro Ford responded positively, revealing that they had already been considering making a donation to the department.

“The stars aligned for us,”‌ Clifford⁢ commented on Wednesday.

The police department​ will ⁣officially receive the ​vehicle once the city⁤ council‍ gives its approval for the acceptance of the donation at its ⁤meeting on Feb. 26.

“Timing is crucial,”‍ Metro‍ Ford President Dave Dariano stated ⁣on Thursday. “The year had just ended and we were ‌in a position to donate the car they⁢ needed. It was​ a case of perfect timing.”

Dariano ⁣mentioned that the dealership had previously donated a van to ⁣the Niskayuna⁣ Central‍ School District for their D.A.R.E. anti-drug program.

“Our aim is⁢ to support the⁢ police and the community,” he ⁢said regarding the latest donation. “Our community supports us, so we always strive to give ⁣back when we can.⁢ We can’t always do it, but ⁣this time it worked out perfectly for us.”

The department is planning a⁣ design contest for Schenectady ‌students to create the ‍branding​ for ‍the exterior of the donated vehicle.

“Across the nation, school resource ‌officers have vehicles⁤ that are easily identifiable⁤ so students know they are ⁤present on ⁣campus,” Clifford explained. ⁣“Our intention is ⁢to wrap the car with a design that clearly ⁢identifies it as ‌a⁤ police car assigned to the schools.”

The ‍department has two ⁢community engagement officers and one supervisor assigned to the school district. The new donation⁤ will enable the ⁢department to have a dedicated vehicle for the program.

“We weren’t short of ⁣a vehicle, we just hadn’t added a vehicle to our fleet when ‍we created these positions a couple of years ago (in‍ 2022),” Clifford explained. “They’ve⁣ been managing with spare ⁤vehicles. However, it was always one of ⁤our long-term ⁢goals to provide them with their own vehicle and do something exciting​ with it.”

The dealership has stated‍ that the vehicle is valued at $34,000⁤ and has been driven 21,000 ⁣miles.

“We are grateful for Metro Ford’s support in this,”⁢ Schenectady ​Mayor Gary McCarthy said⁣ of the donation.‌ “Businesses‌ regularly contribute to help⁤ the city by making donations to make things ⁢a little easier. We’re delighted to have⁢ it ‍and really appreciative of it.”

Dariano highlighted that the Mustang donated to the ‍police department is a fully electric⁤ vehicle.

“Schenectady is the Electric City,” he said.

spot_img
Emily Stanton
Emily Stanton
Emily Stanton, a skillful journalist previously based in Boston, is adept at covering a diverse array of stories. Her thorough and engaging reporting style, honed with a Master's in Journalism from Boston University, focuses on community-relevant stories.
Latest news
Read More

15 COMMENTS

  1. Bad punctuation and grammar, disagree. The donation of an electric car to the Schenectady Police Department will help reduce emissions and save on fuel costs.

Leave a Reply to Zoe Schwartz Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here