Dallas County Sheriff's Department has dumped its high-performance Dodge "Hellcats" for the arguably less thrilling Dodge Durango.
Last year's approval for car purchases had to be changed by commissioners.
The sheriff's department decided to buy the SUVs instead of the popular Hellcats because Dodge discontinued them at the end of 2023. The "Hellcat" is a souped-up version of Dodge muscle cars like the Charger or the Challenger.
Chris Hooper, Dallas County Consolidated Services Director, said that was after commissioners had already approved purchasing 11 of them.
"The manufacturer, Dodge, is no longer making Chargers," he said. "We had ordered some Chargers and were anticipating them come in and they kindly said, 'Hey guys, we're not making them anymore.'"
Dallas County commissioners agreed to change the vehicle purchase agreement, though Elba Garcia pointed out that spending on the Durangos was over the approved budget.
The county will auction seven of its Chargers.
Got a tip? Email Marina Trahan Martinez at mmartinez@kera.org. You can follow Marina at @HisGirlHildy.
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