The departments receiving the vehicles were identified through the North Carolina network of Fraternal Order of Police locals with the state FOP sending out an email requesting help.
All five cruisers were either 2015 or 2017 model year SUVs with between 82,000 and 104,000 miles. They were vehicles the township no longer needed, valued at less than $2,500 each, said interim police Chief Brian Rebholz.
With the help of The Trailer Guy of Cincy, the FOP, and West Chester Twp.-based EZCarSale.com – which donated a trailer and took down three of the Explorers at no cost – a caravan of three trailers delivered the Explorers to North Carolina Nov. 29 for distribution to the police departments.
West Chester Twp. officers making the trip included officers Brent Lovell, Scott Lovett and Mark Weingartner
Along with the cruisers, West Chester Twp. employees donated more than 30 large garbage bags filled with winter-weather clothing collected in about 10 days that was packed into the Explorers, Levell said.
“Each department took what they needed and the rest was given to a church for distribution,’’ Levell said.
The cruisers were fully equipped as police vehicles because the new Chevy Tahoes replacing them could not be retrofitted with the old police equipment from the Explorers, Rebholz said.
Had trustees not agreed to donate them, the vehicles would have been stripped of the police equipment and auctioned.
Old Fort police Chief Melvin Lytle was glad they weren’t auctioned off.
All five of his cruisers – which included two back-up vehicles – were damaged in the Sept. 27 storm.
“Our patrol vehicles were damaged by the weather and flooding,’’ Lytle said. “It’s a blessing that we do have organizations that we belong to (FOP) that step up.”
Lytle said his department of nine that serves the 1.2-square-mile town about 30 miles east of Asheville, has been reduced from nine to three full-time officers, including himself. They have been patrolling the 1.2 square-mile town using backup cruisers, also damaged by the storm.
The chief said it would be at least a year before they would receive any new vehicles. Lytle said he is in the process of working through insurance, federal aid, and other title-related paperwork.
“Maybe by Christmas of 2025 – in the best case – we may see some light in replacing our vehicles,’’ Lytle said.
The West Chester Twp. branding is being removed from the Explorers and will be replaced by Old Fort decals. Once that’s complete the chief and his two officers will begin using the cruisers.
“All the (West Chester Twp.) officers were near tears,” Levell said. “What’s used equipment to us, they saw as new. It was very rewarding and humbling.”
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