Donated ORV giving officers a leg up

PLEASANT GROVE — Folks who crash while zipping across Pleasant Grove's east mountain bench in their motorized vehicles can now be rescued quicker, thanks to a new off-road vehicle.

The Pleasant Grove/Lindon Police Department showed off its sporty, green, six-wheel-drive Polaris Ranger Wednesday afternoon, then tested its speed by scurrying up the mountainside, lights flashing and siren roaring.

"It's pretty peppy," said Pleasant Grove police officer Jeremie Taylor after the mountain ride. "It's way stable. You don't feel like you're going to tip."

The new vehicle, which looks like a giant, souped-up go-cart for adults, was a donation from the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company and its "Operation Ranger" program.

The company, based in Greenwich, Conn., awarded 67 machines during 2006 to law-enforcement agencies across the United States. The Pleasant Grove/Lindon Police Department was the only Utah agency to receive a Ranger.

"It's one of our company's core values to give back in a positive (way)," said company spokesman J.D. Baldini. "By donating a vehicle, our intentions are to serve the community ... by helping people off the mountain."

The ability to rescue people was one of the key points of Pleasant Grove Police Capt. Cody Cullimore's application, which floated to the top of nearly 3,500 applications.

The mountainsides above Pleasant Grove and Lindon are off-limits for motorized vehicles, although they can be used by walkers or horse riders.

Yet every summer, Cullimore said, they'll see people tearing up the wildlife terrain on their ATVs, disturbing the wildlife or even worse — crashing and getting seriously injured.

The vehicle, which can tow 1,750 pounds and carry an additional 1,250 pounds in the dump truck-like bed, will be crucial in carrying those injured people off the mountain.

"It can go up almost anything," Cullimore said. "It's a very aggressive mountain vehicle."

The trained police drivers can also use it to patrol and ticket people who are abusing the mountainside — a great improvement over waiting at the base of the mountain in a patrol car, Cullimore said.

"It's a very substantial gift to our city from the company," Cullimore said. "Whatever your feelings are about tobacco and their company ... you gotta like their heart for what they're doing."

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