Okanagan’s last RCMP Crown Vic off the road

The West Kelowna RCMP said goodbye to the final Crown Vic still being used as a cop car in the Okanagan.

Officially known as the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, the four-door sedan was manufactured from 1992 to 2011, and between 1997 and 2013 it was widely used by police forces throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico.

However, the Crown Vics are no longer considered a “good fit for the RCMP” in terms of durability, reliability and safety, so they have all been gradually replaced with newer vehicles, including SUVs.

The West Kelowna RCMP’s Crown Vic was the last one in service in the Okanagan and was driven by Const. Sherri Lund.

However, as of the end of August, the Crown Vic has retired from police work.

“I loved driving the last Crown Vic in the Okanagan,” Lund, a West Kelowna RCMP school resource officer, said.

“My colleagues would always take time to come up and talk to me about their favorite Crown Vic memories, or talk about what a great car it is. Because I had been the primary driver of it here in West Kelowna, and my relationship with the schools, the students all knew it was me behind the wheel so I would often get a wave or a hello.”

West Kelowna RCMP stated the vehicle was designated for the school officer position, so it hasn’t had the same wear-and-tear as other police vehicles. Lund stated that even though it’s old and has covered a lot of ground, the Crown Vic was still reliable and could be active for longer.

“The vehicle is still in excellent shape and the engine would roar to life when I touched the gas pedal,” Lund remarked.

“The only problem with it was it couldn’t idle with the air conditioning on and maintain its engine temperature. I remember on a hot day this past June, I had left the vehicle in secure idle mode to keep my computer running and went into a high school for a visit. Minutes later the kids came running into the school office saying ‘Your car is on fire Const. Lund.’ I ran outside expecting to see flames, but it was just steam from the blown radiator.”

Despite its condition, the car has officially been retired and Lund will have a new vehicle to drive when stopping by to visit area schools.