No time to skimp - SUVs for evidence techs

As a long time SUV owner[1], I have a good understanding of what difference an SUV can make in shortening travel time in bad weather, and in making travel possible at all when the destination is not on a paved road.  So I speak from experience when I say that Schenectady should stop dithering over cost and get an SUV for use by the "on call" evidence tech.

I see no need for each tech to have an SUV, the purpose is to make sure a very necessary trained person can get to a crime scene, not to provide transportation in lieu of a personal vehicle for the entire staff. Government workers should bear the same responsibility as everyone else for arranging to get to work at their normal location and hours, but when "get to work" isn't the same place or same hours all the time, the one tech on call should have a vehicle suited to the demands of the job, which require going anywhere, any time of the day or night, any day of the week, and promptly. While bringing with them whatever special equipment is needed. Requiring any employee to have a personal vehicle like that is unreasonable, it is special equipment and should be provided.

It would seem even more reasonable to have two vehicles like that, one at home with the on call tech outside of working hours, and one waiting in the Foster Avenue "Garage Mahal" the city built recently. Planning for one vehicle to be unavailable occasionally is good management, vehicles need maintenance, crimes don't always happen one at a time, and a backup would be a reasonable precaution. But it should be the reserve, in the garage, not someone's personal perk or as a spare ride for the garage workers. By alternating the use of vehicles, the mileage will be spread between them, and should be low. That should make these a long term investment rather than something which needs to be replaced frequently.

An SUV is a heavy duty vehicle, its extra capabilities justify the bad mileage and somewhat higher cost of such transportation. Note that I am talking about a "real SUV," and while marketing people may try to deceive the public by calling an all wheel drive (AWD) station wagon such as the Explorer an SUV, it's not. Lest we forget, the "U" is for "utility," and that includes body on frame, a two speed transfer case, robust load rating, high ground clearance, and rear wheel drive. See below for why these features matter. Vehicles such as the Chevy Suburban and Ford Expedition are built on truck frames, and are big, heavy, expensive, rough riding, and capable. Two SUVs make sense for evidence techs, more don't, and lesser vehicles would compromise their ability to the do the job.

In case anyone suggests just getting a few trucks and putting caps on them, I did consider that myself, but it seems like a poor way to save money. First, big capable trucks aren't that much cheaper than an SUV. And an SUV has a lot of marginal utility. That's a term which refers to things it can do which an alternative could not. Compared to a truck, the SUV holds longer evidence with seats folded, and can provide at least some climate control for evidence. And the ability to carry extra passengers into a remote crime scene is valuable, ask any detective how they feel about walking a half mile or more in mud, or rain, or bitter cold. Carrying passengers in some cases will save time, and if those passengers are medical personnel, might save a life. The advantages of an SUV justify the cost, it's just a more adaptable vehicle.

Why SUV features are beneficial:

• body on frame - easier to attach special equipment to the frame, easier to fix if getting to a remote crime scene results in undercarriage or cosmetic damage.
• two speed transfer case - allows the vehicle to be safely used to move things at a scene to gain access, and remove obstacles preventing preservation of evidence. Also useful for pulling stuck official vehicles out of the mud at a crime scene.
• high load rating - because evidence isn't always light.
• high ground clearance - one of the things which really helps travel over bad or nonexistent roads, prevents getting "high centered" with the frame on an obstacle and wheels off the ground.
• rear wheel drive - because equipment and evidence go in the back, because weight shifts to the rear going up hills, because trailers (if needed) put weight on the back. You don't always drive in four wheel drive.

 [1] I have been driving an SUV since 1973, and owned an AWD station wagon (Subaru) at one time as well. I spent 12 years working out of town an making a 100+ mile commute in whatever weather there was, first daily and later three times a week, and I wound up putting about 100k miles on several SUVs. I used to regularly go fishing and camping with my family, often dozens of miles from the nearest paved road. For several years I had a truck with a plow and did driveways and small parking lots.