By Pat Culverhouse
Mother Nature’s one-two punch of sleet and snow across the region earlier this week caused major headaches for motorists and first responders, but the Minden Police Department’s newest addition to its rolling stock helped solve many problems in the city.
Chief of Police Jared McIver said the department purchased a Polaris Ranger utility vehicle just a couple of days ahead of the winter blast and it immediately proved to be a valuable piece of equipment.
“It really came in handy,” the Chief said. “It’s heavy enough that we were able to use its front-end winch to pull out cars and half-ton trucks that had slipped off streets. We also were able to pick up people who got to a spot and could go no further and deliver them to a destination.”
McIver said he and Lt. Joel Kendrick took the UTV to places other vehicles were unable to access after the winter precipitation hit the city.
“We were busy, and cold, all day Monday. We were able to go to places quickly and get where other vehicles couldn’t go,” he said.
McIver said the purchase was made with the approaching bad weather in mind, but the department had been considering adding the unit to its moving arsenal for some time.
“We’ve had our eye on this for a while for several reasons,” he said. “We have just about a parade every month, and this will benefit us to be able to move around during these parades much easier than with a patrol unit. We can maneuver in and out of crowds.”
It’s a tool that will also used for criminal investigations and in off-road pursuits.
“If something’s off road or out in woods somewhere, we can get our investigators and equipment to those scenes without having to walk long distances carrying what they need,” McIver said. “When we’re tracking with a K9, we can pick up the suspect, put our K9 in the bed on back and bring them out.”
McIver said the unit will soon be undergoing a facelift to make it identifiable as a Minden city police unit.
“We’re going to be adding blue lights and police logos to make it recognizable as one of our units,” he said.
McIver handed out special thanks to Jimmy Gould of Louisiana Power Sports in Bossier City for sponsorship and assistance in purchasing the unit.
“This is going to be a very valuable asset for us,” McIver said.