SOUTH BEND -- City police officers turned to spare squad cars and old Civil Defense vehicles to patrol the streets Thursday night after 32 cars were taken out of service because of an alarming amount of rust on the frames.

Matt Chlebowski, director of the city's Central Services, said the vehicles, mostly marked squad cars, have been taken off the street as a precaution until an expert can inspect the frames more closely.

Most of the affected cars are 1997 Ford Crown Victorias. However, 1995 and 1996 models also have been taken off the streets.

The city owns 111 of the 1997 Crown Victorias, but not all are expected to have the rust problem.

All of the vehicles taken off the streets are take-home cars assigned to individual officers. The move is expected to have a dramatic impact, at least temporarily, on the take-home car policy that police have long touted as a crime deterrent.

Police officers and Central Services employees said all the department's spare cars had been used as replacements and no more were available. In fact, officers said old Civil Defense cars and police vans were being pressed into service to make up for the squad car shortfall.

In a special order read to officers during the start of each shift, Chief Larry Bennett acknowledged the department is "experiencing a problem with the frames rusting on 1997 Ford Crown Victorias."

South Bend Police Patrolman Jason Stone cleans out his squad car Thursday afternoon after the vehicle was taken out of service because of a rusting frame. More than 32 cars had been taken out of service by late Thursday. Tribune Photo/GREG SWIERCZ

"Until we find a solution to this dilemma, I am asking for everyone's patience and cooperation,'' Bennett's order reads. "With this many vehicles out of service, we have to alter the spare vehicle policy.''

Officers were expected to have to rotate use of the spare vehicles.

Officers on each shift were directed to take their cars to Central Services for an inspection.

Chlebowski said Central Services will inspect the entire fleet of police cars, including Chevrolet models, to determine which ones may have large amounts of rust on the frames.

Central Services was alerted to the problem after a squad car was brought to the garage following a minor accident. A closer inspection revealed there "was more rust than we suspect we should have on a 5-year-old car'' and that the frame shifted more than it should have because of the accident, Chlebowski said.

Inspectors, using a large metal punch, hammered into the frame to test it. In some cases, the punch went right through the frame.

Chlebowski said he and city police met with Ford representatives Thursday. A frame specialist is to return Tuesday to inspect the vehicles that Central Services has taken out of service.

There are several options, depending on the severity of the problem: It may be determined the car is safe and could be put back on the street, the vehicle could be repaired or it could be removed from service permanently.

The Common Council set aside nearly $1 million to pay for an additional 50 new squad cars this year. Those cars have not yet arrived.