Just fine, say Franklinton Police Department officials.
The question was answered Monday when police pursued a fleeing suspect 27 miles on some of the curviest roads in the parish. That suspect, James Ryan Miley, was driving a pickup truck and reached speeds of 100 mph or more. The chase ended when Miley plowed into a ditch.
  
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“We’ve gotten a lot of compliments,” said FPD Chief Donald Folse. “It’s going to cut our maintenance bill significantly.”
The Tahoes represent the first brand-new vehicles the department has bought in nine years and will replace the older Ford Crown Victoria units. The SUVs get better gas mileage than the Crown Vics, which had mostly been purchased used and were only getting about 12 miles per gallon. The gray Tahoes, designed with blue and black decals, get closer to 20 miles per gallon, said FPD Lt. Justin Brown. One of the Tahoes is all black and does not have the police lettering on the sides.
Franklinton is one of the first agencies in the state to go to the new police units, which may one day become the standard police vehicle across the country.
“People love them,” said Brown.
Like a regular police car, officers ride up front, with suspects going in the back seats. Equipment is stored in the rear.
All told, the units cost $135,000, but $61,000 of the funds came from a community facilities grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. The town paid for the rest.
Franklinton Mayor Wayne Fleming and town aldermen were on hand for Wednesday’s ceremony. The mayor thanked USDA representative Juiet Schillings for his help with the grant.
“We appreciate all you do for Franklinton,” Fleming said. “Hopefully down the road, we will be able to do a lot more.”
For now, Franklinton roads will be patrolled by the new Tahoes as well as the older Crown Vics, which will eventually be phased out. The police department plans to go an all-Tahoe force in the future.
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