Back in March, a rural Oregon sheriff's department lost its newest police-spec Dodge Charger "Pursuit" when it caught fire after 6,000 miles. Turns out Chrysler was willing to provide a new one for free — for just a nondisclosure form.
Curry County Sheriff John Bishop told the Curry County Pilot that after the fire, Chrysler was willing to provide the county with a new cruiser with all of the police equipment that the county lost in the vehicle.
The cruiser caught fire while parked while a deputy responded to a search and rescue call; the deputy was able to grab a few items, but the fire moved too quickly for him to extinguish. Bishop said the fire appeared to start in the passenger-side rear wheel well, and the office suspected the brake or fuel line was involved, because the fire kept reigniting after it was doused.
As for the confidential agreement, Bishop said it was "just a standard deal." Of course, there's nothing that prevents the sheriff from reporting the incident to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has no complaints of burning Dodge Chargers on file, but at least three complaints involving problems with police-interceptor editions. Here's the link.
Photo: Curry County Pilot