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MONTROSE, IOWA -- The Lee County Iowa Sheriff's Department is sporting some new squad cars that are actually saving the county some money.

Sheriff Jim Sholl said that through a state bid contract, the sheriff's department bought Chevy Tahoes.

The vehicles were purchased for about the same price as what some of the department's old Ford Crown Victoria's cost when they purchased new several years ago.

The new Tahoes are two wheel drive and they get about the same gas mileage as the old cars.

The deciding factor to purchase these vehicles was the trade in value they'll have years down the road.

"So the chief deputy and I did our research and settled on the Chevy Tahoe. A huge difference. Ample storage room for the deputies. We're in the prisoner transport business as the sheriff's office and we had to make sure that the vehicle we had had plenty of room and once you have a confinement cage in the vehicle," Sholl said.

Sholl said the three Tahoe's were purchased this year.

The department is on a program to replace two old squad cars each year with the new Tahoes.

The department has 10 patrol cars for deputies.