Cyndi Loza

Two new prisoner transport vehicles joined the Reno Police Department last month and began touring the Reno streets March 4.

The vehicles are an improvement from the department’s two older vehicles, which were retired, police Commander Steve Pitts said.

“I think the interior of the vehicle is better for the passengers and the people we detain,” Pitts said. “It’s much better constructed, where there is more room to move in and out of there with the prisoner.”

The new vehicles have the ability to separate and hold more prisoners, Sgt. Mark Katre said.

He said the vehicles have the ability to hold up to 12 prisoners and have two separate single prisoner compartments. The older vehicles could only hold 9 occupants and had one single prisoner compartment.

Katre said having separate prisoner compartments saves officers a lot of time because when prisoners need to be separated, “rather than three officers on the street, you have one unit taking the majority of the workload on one shift to booking.”

Katre said about 12 to 18 prisoner are transported within a 10-hour shift daily.

The prisoners are restrained in their seats while in the vehicles, Pitts said.

Bruce Mullin, Reno fleet manager, said the vehicles cost about $127,000 each.