Is the university police chief driving a 2016 Cadillac Escalade provided by UAF?

October 26, 2015

University Relations

One time this summer I saw the University Police chief had someone pulled over with blue and red lights flashing. As I drove by I noticed the chief’s car was a Cadillac Escalade.

I assumed that the vehicle was the chief’s personal vehicle that he had rigged up to be a police car.

Today I drove by the police station and saw the chief’s Escalade again. This time I noticed that it is wearing an official property of the state of Alaska vehicle license plate. I had not noticed that in the earlier drive-by because, well, I was driving by.

How is it when the university and the state are facing the biggest budget challenges in a long time that we’re buying a Cadillac for the university police chief? Wouldn’t a Suburban do the same job for less money? 2016 Escalades start at $72,970. Suburbans start at $49,700. That’s a significant difference!