ATLANTA –The Sandy Springs Police Department in Georgia recently switched 25 Ford Crown Victoria cruisers to propane autogas, saving more than $11,000 in fuel costs and displacing nearly 10 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over a period of three months.

Alliance AutoGas is providing vehicle conversions and fueling for a total of 65 cruisers, with funding through the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program.

“The City of Sandy Springs needed a reliable fuel source in case of natural disasters, and propane autogas offers the most viable combination of an American-made clean fuel that also helps reduce our fuel budget,” said Captain Bart Humble, who had originally researched alternative fuel in his former capacity as Lieutenant Commander of Homeland Security. “Because of the rising cost of gasoline, our fleet fuel costs nearly doubled in six years. Now, we’re saving $1.70 per gallon or more filling up our patrol cars with autogas.”

Alliance AutoGas partner Force 911 handles the bi-fuel autogas vehicle conversions for Sandy Springs, and Alliance also installed a centrally located autogas station for the fleet. Capt. Humble reports that his fleet drives on propane autogas 96 percent of the time, displacing thousands of gallons of gasoline every month.

 “Some officers only had one gasoline receipt for the entire second quarter of 2012,” Humble said. “Feedback from officers driving the propane vehicles has been extremely positive. The key to the program’s success has been strong commitment from the top of City administration all the way down to the officers in the field.”

In addition, Humble said the propane autogas vehicles provide “a very similar experience to driving traditional gasoline vehicles, and my officers can still carry around the equipment they need.”