EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso police are adding dozens of new vehicles to their fleet as the department works to replace an aging lineup that has racked up heavy mileage and is increasingly costly to maintain.

The El Paso Police Department is adding 40 vehicles as part of a long-term plan to update its fleet, officials said.

Fleet Maintenance Supervisor Jose Herrera demonstrated features in one of the new units, including equipment and controls designed to reduce distractions for officers while driving.

He added, “We also keep the officers safe from looking down and having them to manual through all the buttons here,” and said the vehicles “will be on patrol here pretty soon.”

EPPD Director of Administrative Services Minnie Holguin said the department currently has “just over a thousand vehicles, including both are marked and unmarked.”

She said the new vehicles were purchased using fiscal year 2024 city funds, but they still need to be equipped before they can go into service.

Emily Schmlaz reports on El Paso police add 40 vehicles as part of long-term fleet replacement plan (Credit: KFOX14)

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Holguin said the purchase is part of a broader effort to address the department’s aging fleet through a phased replacement strategy. “We are looking at something that will allow us to use a phased approach and keep up with what our officers need to do their job,” she said.

According to data released by EPPD, 240 vehicles have more than 100,000 miles, and more than 300 vehicles are nearly 10 years old. Holguin said patrol vehicles take the most wear and tear, with some used across multiple shifts each day.

“Ideally we’d have enough vehicles for each shift and only for that one shift. But as it is because of the limited resources, we’re running the cars back to back,” Holguin said.

The department keeps vehicles in service as long as possible through regular maintenance, Holguin said, but several factors determine when a vehicle is retired. “It is the mileage, it is the years and it certainly is the history of the vehicle and then the cost,” she said. “How much did we originally pay and how much have we spent now on all of the maintenance of the vehicle?”

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After retirement, some vehicles are used by TxDOT or the police academy, while others are auctioned or salvaged for parts, officials said.

Holguin said EPPD is working with the city to balance vehicle needs with costs. “So we’re working with them to plan going forward and address the needs of all of our vehicles,” she said.

She added that newer vehicles could reduce maintenance expenses:

“If we get the newer vehicles, our maintenance cost is also going to go down. And then we can reallocate that funding into paying for these new vehicles.”

Holguin said the department will continue working with the city on a long-term plan for the next five to 10 years.

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