Police car

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A police car is a vehicle used by police forces around the world to patrol, temporarily detain and transport individual criminal suspects.

Such vehicles are known variously around the world as police cruiser, squad car, prowler, radio car, panda car, area car, scout car or patrol car. In some places a police car may also be nicknamed a cop car, a cherry top or a jam sandwich.

Use of the police car has largely replaced the tradition of officers or constables "walking a beat" in most jurisdictions. Advocates of community policing have asked police departments to encourage constables to spend less time in their vehicles and more time walking the streets and interacting with the community.

With the advent of highways and motorways, special patrols have been established to monitor traffic offenses as well as engage suspects in flight. Highway and motorway patrols may use special pursuit cars that are designed for safe handling at higher speeds.

[edit] Characteristics

[edit] Police package

Police cars are usually common passenger car models, which are upgraded with a police package provided by the manufacturer. These vehicles are available to order through fleet sales instead of ordinary retail dealership sales. The police package consists of modifications to the car for higher durability, speed and capability for high mileage driving and to accommodate the use of the electronic equipment used by police officers on patrol (laptop database, strobe lights/siren, radio etc.). This is usually accomplished by heavy duty suspensions, brakes, tires, alternator, transmission and cooling systems, and also sometimes includes slight modifications to the car's stock engine.

Additional special equipment may include modified electrical wiring, inoperable rear door locks and rear windows, rear seat suspect transport enclosures (a barrier between front and rear passengers, some with metal bars across the rear side windows), a shotgun or assault rifle mount, and other heavier-duty components.

All of the Police package components not only increase performance but also increase the car's longevity, although this widely varies depending on daily hours of usage, miles driven, and quality of maintenance.

Fire chiefs' vehicles are often based on police cars in North America because of the need to carry the same types of electronic equipment and because of the ease of ordering them in a fleet package.

Many retired police cars find new life as taxis.

[edit] North America

In the United States and Canada, police departments historically have used standard-size, low-price line sedans such as the Ford Model A or Chevrolet Bel Air. They switched to intermediates when they were introduced in the 1960s, such as the Plymouth Satellite, Ford Torino and AMC Matador. When the Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice were downsized in the late 1970s, they were re-adopted as standard. With the departure of the Chevrolet Caprice most police departments currently use the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as the standard patrol car. New North American Crown Victoria Police Interceptors are optionally equipped with a fire suppression system to combat instances of vehicle fires subsequent to high speed rear impacts.

Some departments have adopted SUVs and front-wheel drive sedans for non-pursuit applications, but the rear wheel drive V8 configuration is favored for being consistent with pursuit driver training. General Motors and DaimlerChrysler provide police vehicles as well, and a few jurisdictions use these vehicles, notably in Canada.

There are many jurisdictions that use the Chevrolet Impala. The Dodge Charger (LX) is the most likely challenger to the Crown Victoria as a RWD car, though the Washington State Patrol is using it initially as an unmarked patrol car. The former 44th Precinct in the Bronx, NY, now home to a special police task force has one of the new Hemi Dodge Chargers for testing. So far the Charger has shown great performance competence, being faster, better looking, more modern and more fuel efficient than the commonly used Ford Crown Victoria. Some complaints about the Charger though are its limited rear visibility and smaller trunk than the Crown Victoria. In the summer of 2006, the Georgia State Patrol announced that it would begin using the Dodge Charger for high speed chases on interstate highways, because of its additional power and speed.

Some state highway patrols such as California adopted pony cars such as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro or even AMC Javelin as pursuit vehicles where a rear seat for taking suspects into custody is not a requirement.

[edit] Germany

German police typically uses cars from German manufacturers. Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and BMW are commonly used for patrol cars (Streifenwagen) and radio cars (Peterwagen).

In the Saarland, vehicles of the French company Peugeot as well as European Ford types are also used as police cars. The Bavarian police use mainly vehicles of the manufacturer BMW and Audi. In the eastern states of Germany mostly Volkswagens are in use. The Hessian police prefer the Opel cars.

High-performance Porsche models, such as the Porsche 924 and Porsche 993 can be found patrolling the Autobahn as pursuit cars.

[edit] Switzerland

Typical police cars in Switzerland are, BMW coupes and sedans. Other vehicles by OPELs or Volvo, are likewise often used. Minibuses in German-speaking Switzerland usually VOLKSWAGEN T4 or T5. In the French-speaking cantons, increased usage of vehicles of the manufacturers Peugeot and Renault has begun.

[edit] Markings and paint schemes

Police cars may be either marked or unmarked, to catch suspects unaware. Marked cars have reflective decals and identifying words such as "Police" or "Sheriff" on them to clearly mark them as police cars. Before the 1970s, cars would have built-in lights affixed to the roof, but these have given way to more flexible light bars on top with red and/or blue light beacons and sirens.

[edit] Unmarked cars

Unmarked cars are devoid of any visible markings or equipment which can identify it as a police vehicle, making it appear identical to a regular car of the same model. The siren is hidden and the police lights are placed behind either the windshield or grille and back window. Lights are sometimes placed on the front of rear or side-view mirrors, as well.

[edit] North America

The markings and paint schemes on police cars vary by country. North American police cars were once noted for being painted black and white, with the car doors and roof painted white, while the trunk, hood, front fenders and rear quarter panels were painted black. However, in the United States, the paint scheme for each fleet is determined by each agency, and, outside of California (where most police cars are still black and white), police vehicle markings have become increasingly stylistic, with widespread use of computer-graphics and vinyl striping. Cars may range from being all white to completely black. Blues and greens are also frequently used.

Official markings also vary by jurisdiction. The side doors and sometimes the hood of a marked police car usually bear the police force's badge or the city seal, often in reflective finish. Markings such as emergency telephone numbers or generic anti-drug messages are also common. Some agencies such as the California Highway Patrol also have identification numbers printed on the roofs of patrol cars for identification from aircraft.

[edit] Far East

In Japan and China, a variation of black and white scheme is used, except that the top half of the car is painted white, and the bottom half is black. Similar color schemes are also used by departments in Taiwan.

[edit] Europe

In Sweden, police (Polis) cars were white with black fenders and roof. The roof was painted black on request from northern Sweden as a white roof would make the car nearly invisible when driving in the snow. More recently, Sweden has changed from black paint to light blue stickers, and from 2005 they use blue and fluorescent yellow stickers.

Germany used white cars with bright green stripes. More recent German police cars are silver with light blue fluorescent stripes.

In Ireland, the United Kingdom, Greece and a few other countries in Europe, the cars are designed for very high visibility, and are often painted predominantly white, with a fluorescent checkered strip running along the sides of the car, usually silver, blue, orange or yellow, or combinations of these colors.

[edit] Africa

In South Africa, police cars follow the high visibility white scheme.

[edit] Australia and New Zealand

Police cars in Australia and New Zealand also use the white predominately, with a checkered strip on the side.

[edit] Deterrence

Just the presence of a police car, without active enforcement, can be a visual reminder of traffic laws. At high speeds, motorists may not even notice whether or not an officer is inside. In 2005, Virginia's legislature considered a bill which provided, in part[1]:

Whenever any law-enforcement vehicle is permanently taken out of service . . . such vehicle shall be placed at a conspicuous location within a highway median in order to deter violations of motor vehicle laws at that location. Such vehicles shall . . . be rotated from one location to another as needed to maintain their deterrent effect. . .

[edit] Police cars in popular culture

Police pursuit using police cars often results in police chases, which have been criticized (and even outlawed in some places) for putting uninvolved motorists and pedestrians at risk, and have also been dramatized in television programs and movies.

On film and television, police cars are usually portrayed as containing a team of two police officers so that they may converse and interact on screen. In reality, most districts have only one police officer per vehicle, although at night this may increase to two.

[edit] Television shows featuring police cars

Adam-12 - Los Angeles police force drama "1 Adam 12" (1A-12) was the radio call sign of the police cruiser driven by the main characters.
Kojak - The lead character, Lt. Theo Kojak, drove an unmarked New York City police car distinguished by a portable magnetic rotating flasher light.
CHiPs - Television series about the California Highway Patrol
The Andy Griffith Show - Andy Griffith played the Sheriff of Mayberry and drove a Ford police interceptor
In the Heat of the Night - Carol O'Connor drove a police car in the televison series set in Sparta, Mississippi

[edit] Movies featuring police cars

The Blues Brothers - A Dodge police car with almost "magical" properties carries the title characters through one of the largest and most expensive movie police chases ever filmed.

[edit] Gallery

[edit] Americas

Crown Victoria

Hopewell Township Police Department Crown Victoria

New York Police Department Crown Victoria

Halton Regional Police Crown Victoria

Lincolnton, Georgia Police Department Crown Victoria

Chevrolet Impala

Chevy Impala of the Prince George's County, Maryland police.

Sharon Police Department, PA Chevy Impala

A Catoosa County, Georgia, Sheriff's Department Impala

Chevrolet Tahoe

A typical Chevrolet Tahoe PPV used in the United States.

Chevrolet Tahoe police SUV of Coppell, Texas.

2006 Chevy Tahoe Greensboro, NC

Other

1955 Chevrolet Police Car	1964 Stratford, Connecticut police cruiser, used also as an Ambulance	Police car from Argentina	A Jeep of the West Vancouver police.
Chevrolet Lumina police car outfitted for security use

[edit] Asia/Oceania

A Hong Kong Police vehicle.	Japanese Police car.	Japanese Police van.	Thai Police car.
Kerala Police Jeep.	A Hong Kong police van.	Mitsubishi GTO patrol car, Japan.	Ford Falcon used by Victoria Police for traffic duties.
Holden Commodore used by Victoria Police for traffic duties.	Korean City Patrol Car (Hyundai Sonata)	A Singapore Hilux Police Van

[edit] Europe

Trabant German Police Car	A London Metropolitan Police Vauxhall Vectra.	A Northumbria Police Ford Transit Van, England	Patrol car (old colour: white with green, in use on cars up to model year 2004) of the Saarland Police (Germany).
Road accident investigation vehicle of the Schleswig-Holstein Police (Germany).	Finnish police van (here with the text in Swedish).	A Ford Focus police car of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, England.	Anti-riot armoured vehicle of the police of the Canton of Vaud in Lausanne, Switzerland.
An Italian Police Lamborghini Gallardo.	A Swedish V70, using the older paintjob. The police in Sweden are using the same cars and colours everywhere: this is the SPD, Stockholm PD.	The same model, standing next, using the new, more reflecting markings.	Italian Fiat Stilo Police car
Metropolitan Police Vauxhall Vectra V6 CDI.	Red Metropolitan Police Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG) car.	Police bus Autosan A1010T	Catalan Police car
Dutch police van