Several Pearl River County Sheriff’s deputies will be patrolling in new vehicles this week.

The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of eight 2016 Ford Police Interceptor sedans at the Nov. 7 meeting at a cost of about $61,000 a year for four years, previous coverage states.

Interceptors were designed after Ford Discontinued the popular Crown Victorias, many of which are still used by the department.

Supervisors expressed interest in purchasing the new vehicles as a way to boost morale among deputies.

Many of the other vehicles in the fleet were used when purchased or have a high amount of mileage, Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said.

“It’s a welcome change,” Sgt. David Bean, who is assigned one of the new patrol cars, said.

The Interceptors are a new vehicle for the fleet, which mostly consists of older Crown Victorias, Dodge Chargers and a few Chevy Tahoes.

They came to the department fully equipped, with light packages, safety equipment, all wheel drive and backup cameras, a new feature for deputies, Tucker said.

After Ford discontinued the Crown Victorias, Tucker said many law enforcement agencies were disappointed, but other vehicles have taken their place in recent years.

The oldest vehicles in the fleet are from 2007 and have over 200,000 miles on them, Tucker said.

The department purchased a few Chargers in 2012, but with each shift covering an average of 250 miles—and sometimes up to 400 miles—continuing to update the fleet is essential, Tucker said.

The difference between the Chargers and the Interceptors is the ground clearance, Tucker said.

Previously, deputies had trouble on roads with excessive potholes or steep driveways while driving the Dodge Charger sedans, Bean and Tucker said.

Five of the eight new vehicles have already been introduced to the fleet, with three more expected in January, Tucker said.

The Board said it hopes to enter a four-year cycle of introducing new vehicles into the county fleet in an effort to ensure deputies have reliable transportation.

The department is also awaiting two new transport vans next month, Tucker said.

The Board approved the purchase at a cost of $13,000 out of the jail budget, previous coverage states.

The department also acquired three 2008 Crown Victoria’s from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Department, according to previous coverage.

The three vehicles had an average of 100,000 miles on them and cost $6,600 total.

They still have to be cleaned up and decaled before possibly being used for inmate transport, Tucker said.