MEDIA CENTER

 

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department adds three new MCI® ISTV inmate
transportation vehicles to support prisoner transport system

SCHAUMBURG, IL — August 5, 2011 — When municipalities large and small transport prisoners to court dates, local jails and area prison facilities, chances are they're going in Motor Coach Industries' purpose-built Inmate Security Transportation Vehicle ( ISTV).

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) added three new 2011 ISTVs to its 82-coach fleet, replacing three older coaches in its system, which carries between 5,000-6,000 inmates a day between early morning and midnight.

"We're running inmates to court dates and state prisons throughout the day — we transport both men and women on these routes, and we handle juvenile transport as well," explains Rick Lantz, automotive coordinator for the LASD. "We also handle runs for patients who need dialysis and other services."

Lantz explains that roughly half of the Sheriff's Department's coach fleet "dates back to 1987," so the department has been trying to replace as many as it can each year based on its share of funding from the Los Angeles County court system.

For the past two decades, MCI has been the only North American coach manufacturer producing turnkey, fully secured heavy-duty inmate transport coaches. The LASD's newest models feature environmentally friendly Detroit Series 60 engine and Allison transmission and seat up to 50 inmates. Shatter-resistant acrylic windows are standard features on ISTVs, along with other special custom-features designed to protect and secure inmates.

Lantz pointed out that the LASD has been buying MCI ISTVs for years — "They're a reliable vehicle for what they do." He also explains the department is "looking at every source of grant funding available" to improve the emissions standards on all of their old vehicles that will eventually be replaced.

Lantz pointed out that the LASD, founded in 1850, has used buses for prisoner transport since the dawn of the automotive age.

Motor Coach Industries, headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, is the largest manufacturer of intercity highway coaches for the tour, charter, line-haul, scheduled service, commuter transit and conversion markets in the U.S. and Canada. The company also operates seven sales centers and eight service centers in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, MCI is the industry's leading supplier of aftermarket parts for most makes and models.

Press contact: Patricia Plodzeen Public Relations, 847-283-0883; or Motor Coach Industries Marketing Department, 847-285-2035.

 

Motor Coach Industries: Corporate Address 1700 East Golf Road, Suite 300, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173 | Phone: 866-MCICOACH

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