Frostburg Police Introduce All Electric Chevy Bolt to The Fleet

Reposted from Frostburg City Police Department Facebook page April 28, 2021

The Frostburg City Police Department recently introduced a brand new 2020 Chevrolet Bolt into its fleet of patrol vehicles. This is the first fully electric police vehicle in the area. The vehicle was obtained through the new fleet leasing program via Enterprise Fleet Management, which the city recently contracted with to supply vehicles.

The Chevrolet Bolt will operate fully outfitted with emergency lighting, siren, loudspeaker, radar, computer, printer, and other law enforcement equipment. The graphics on the new Frostburg Police Bolt are the same new graphic design adopted by the department in 2018 but with the addition of lightning bolts to symbolize the electric operation of the vehicle. The graphics were installed by Commercial Graphics & Signage of Centennial Street, Frostburg.

About a third of the leasing cost of the new electric police vehicle was funded through a $10,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration under the Maryland Smart Energy Communities program (MSEC). The grant was drafted and managed by Laura J. Michael, the City of Frostburg Grants Manager.

“Frostburg is a certified Smart Energy Community, which makes us eligible for several grants, and we have used it in the past to replace all streetlights in the City with energy efficient LED lights. This year we applied for a renewable energy grant to update the Talcot Avenue Sewage Pumping Station and make it solar powered. The MSEC EV grant covered a flat $10,000 toward the [electric police vehicle],” said Michael.

Chief Nicholas Costello said, “I could not be happier with the new Chevy Bolt police vehicle. We are always open to new and innovative ideas, and we are always looking for things that have a positive impact on the community. This was a great way to tap right into those positive ideas.”

“We plan to assign the vehicle to our School Resource Officer, PFC Gregory Edwards,” Costello said, “and we had Shawn Miller, Eric Harvey, and Mark Bittner of Commercial Graphics & Signage also install D.A.R.E. logos on the side of the vehicle. We have an electric charging station for the Bolt in the garage of our new police station.

”Police Commissioner Kevin Grove said, “Using this vehicle for SRO work is a great way to go. It’s approachable, it’s a good conversation starter, and it’s on the road in Frostburg daily through the week. SRO Edwards will also use the vehicle on patrol when school is not in session or when working extra assignments. This was just a great idea.

”The vehicle is currently in service and will be assigned to the School Resource Officer in the coming weeks pending installation of a few more police equipment items. Pictured with the new 2020 Chevy Bolt are Police Commissioner Kevin Grove and Chief Nicholas Costello.