Del Rey Oaks Police Chief drives Hummer as city looks to cut costs.

He patrols one of the Peninsula’s tiniest cities, but Del Rey Oak’s Police Chief Ron Langford drives a big cop car: a Hummer H2. The black, unmarked beast dwarfs the white Crown Victorias parked behind City Hall. Langford says the Hummer is fully outfitted as an emergency response vehicle. A police radio is tucked in the H2’s console. Sirens glow from above the rear-view mirror and grill. A full supply of defibrillators and shotguns are stowed in truck.

Though Langford exclusively drives the vehicle for personal use and police duties, he admits he wouldn’t chase any cars with the Hummer: “We are not doing a lot of chases.”

But, he says, the SUV does come in handy for going off road and is comparable to any other Suburban or Expedition – typical of local police departments.

“[The H2] just looks different,” Langford says. “It’s not a luxury vehicle.”

The vehicle itself didn’t cost the city a cent – a reserve officer donated the Hummer to the city more than a year ago. But maintaining and fueling the gas-guzzler isn’t cheap, and Langford has been on the defensive lately, trying to justify the H2’s expenses as Del Rey Oaks starts to feel the housing-market hangover, and the city looks for ways to plug a $60,000 hole in its budget.

Furloughs amounting to a 10-percent pay cut for the city’s four clerical and public works employees were on the table at the council’s Feb. 24 meeting. Acting City Manager Dewey Evans says the concessions won’t be necessary this year. But with property revaluations forthcoming, next fiscal year will likely be worse, Evans warns. The loss of $45,000 in property taxes would be a big blow to the 1,600-resident city with a $2.6 million budget and no general fund reserves.

Looking for places to save money, Evans took a close look at the city’s fuel costs. Evans pointed out an October spike in the Hummer’s gas bill: nearly $600 for the month, $345 above a regular squad car. This rise occurred when gas prices were higher and the city was buying its gas from the city of Monterey, which charged additional fees, Evans says.

Gas now costs significantly less than October. According to December’s gas log (excluding the last week of the month), Langford filled up four times, spending $207 on fuel. However, this still cost nearly twice as much for fuel compared to any other cruiser.

In a January memo, Langford said the Hummer averages 10.9 miles per gallon compared to 16 mpg for a Crown Victoria. Langford also noted that he drives more than other employees, assisting his officers, taking the towering vehicle to and from his Monterey home, and to local businesses.

Langford says the Hummer was critical on Feb. 9 when he drove onto the driving range behind Safeway to help catch a bank robbery suspect. He also says he uses it to patrol the city’s 360 acres of former Fort Ord land.

But perennial City Hall critic Kathi Buckley Smith says the city has invested too much money in the Hummer, including $2,500 to replace its transmission. “Here it was supposed to be a donated vehicle to benefit the city, and there are hidden costs where they’ve spent thousands of dollars on that,” Smith says.

While many cities are buying hybrids to green up their fleet, Langford says his Hummer is “no different than another V8 engine putting out smog emissions.”

Hummer marketers may disagree. The company’s slogan: “Like Nothing Else.”