N.Y. State Police Parking Ford Cruisers Until the Fuel Tanks Get Crash Guards

New York State Police troopers will not drive their Ford Crown Victorias until they are retrofitted to prevent fires caused by violent rear-end collisions, officials said Thursday.

State Police Supt. James McMahon said he has told supervisors not to send troopers out in Crown Victorias not fitted with fuel tank shields. Officials said there are enough retrofitted vehicles to comply with the order without reducing patrols.

Ford says the vehicles are safe, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in October that the Crown Victoria exceeds federal standards for fuel system safety.

But a series of deadly crashes across the nation has heightened concern about Crown Victorias, which account for about 80% of police cars on the road.

Earlier Thursday, the union representing New York troopers urged its members to refuse to patrol in non-retrofitted Crown Victorias and called for those vehicles to be taken out of service until they get shields.

“It does not seem to be an unreasonable demand for us to say, ‘Park those unsafe cars that are of the type that can explode,’ ” union chief Daniel De Federicis said.

At least 13 officers across the country have been killed in fiery crashes in Crown Victorias since 1983, including Trooper Robert Ambrose, who died Dec. 19 in Yonkers when his cruiser was rear-ended.

Police departments have alleged that Crown Victorias are prone to catch fire when hit from behind at high speed.

Ford agreed in September to pay to install shields around the gas tanks of about 350,000 police-issued Crown Victorias across the country.

It was not clear what percentage of the state’s police fleet has been retrofitted, but Ambrose’s car was not among them.