Niles police chief unhappy about condition of cruisers

NILES — Police Chief Robert Hinton is unhappy about the condition of a number of the city’s police cruisers and wants the Ford Motor Company to do something about it.

Hinton’s concern is not with the vehicles’ performance or maintenance. It’s the condition of the exteriors.

“We’ve got 14 of our 37 cruisers that have extreme peeling and flaking of paint along with rust,” Hinton said. “They don’t project a positive image for either our police department or Ford.”

Hinton has mailed a letter to the Ford corporate offices in Dearborn, Mich., complaining about the cruisers and requesting the company correct the paint issues.

“We are hopeful that [Ford] can offer some type of assistance to remedy this problem and restore these vehicles back to a condition that [Niles] and [Ford[ would be proud of to represent the community,” his letter states. Hinton enclosed photos of each cruiser with the letter.

For the complete story, read Saturday's Vindicator and Vindy.com