12/28/2012 6:02:00 AMDistrict to use “smart” car as safety tool

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has added two smart cars to its lineup of enforcement tools that help its Division of Safety and Security work more efficiently and effectively.

Smart cars, says Chief Lester Fultz, won’t be used on patrols, but will transport non-enforcement personnel to schools across the District.

Smart cars cost $12,500, nearly half the cost of the cars Fultz has ordered in past years, and will save fuel costs operating at about $26 per month in premium gasoline.

“It’s a cute little thing, but it absolutely serves the purpose,” Fultz said.

Fultz said he had some concerns about how his staff would fit into the smaller cars, but once he got his own 6-foot-3 frame inside one, officers knew the cars would work well for his security team.

“This is manufacturer’s talk now, but they are the safest vehicles manufactured in the United States,” he said. “The cars have a built in roll cage – the passenger compartment is a solid roll cage. They get 45 miles to a gallon of gas. That’s more than anybody’s getting.”

But Fultz wants the new cars to serve a grander purpose: as moving advertisement for the District. Each car has been dressed up, branded with the CMSD logo and a message: “Follow Us to a Safe Cleveland School."

Photo Credit: Ron Werman, Cleveland Photographic Society