Police car

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Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor of the United States Federal Protective Service. Most North American police forces use the Crown Victoria and/or Chevrolet Impala.

$A Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Ford Focus, Ilfracombe, England.$

A Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Ford Focus, Ilfracombe, England.

A Chevrolet Impala police car from Montreal. The Impala is the second-best selling police car in North America.

A police car is a vehicle used by a police force to assist with their duties. Typical uses of a police car would be for officers to use to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to patrol an area for suspected trouble, to provide a high visibility deterrent to criminal or to temporarily detain and transport individual criminal suspects.

As the Police themselves have, police cars have picked up a number of monikers since theire inception and may be 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 Black & White, a cherry top, or a jam sandwich.

[edit] Use of Police Cars

In many areas of the world, particularly the developed world, the police car has become a more widely used form of transport than officers or constables "walking a beat". This has principally been because a shift in the focus of policing away from high visibility with "on officer on every street corner" to more focused services, sending officers out in response to incidents. This has the obvious advantage of being able to get police resource to incidents quicker, and also for officers to be able to carry out their routine duties (such as taking witness statements) more easily - thus delivering better value for money to the taxpayer.

Advocates of community policing often cite this shift in to vehicles, and away from face to face contact, as a reason for break downs in relations with the community. As such, these organisations often ask police departments to encourage constables to spend less time in their vehicles and more time walking the streets and interacting with the community. This has lead to some countries and forces, such as Great Britain introducing more walking patrols, using either fully sworn Police Officers or Police Community Support Officers.

[edit] Types of Police Car

There are several different types of police car, which are likely to be used for different purposes. Some forces operate only one type, whereas others may have all the different vehicles, with different officers or groups assigned to each vehicle.

Patrol Car - The car used to replace walking for the 'beat' police officer. These cars would typically be of a relatively standard construction. Their primary function is to convey normal constables between their duties (taking statements, visiting witnesses etc.), and are also likely to be used to respond to emergencies, and as such would most likely be fitted with visual and audible warnings.
Response Car - A response car is similar to a patrol car, but is likely to be of a higher specification, capable of faster speeds and will certainly be fitted with audible and visual warnings. These cars are (almost) only ever used to respond to emergency incidents, so are designed to travel fast, and may carry specialist equipment (such as large firearms)
Traffic Car - Also known as Roads Policing Units, these cars are designed for the job of enforcing traffic laws, and as such usually have the highest performance of any of the police vehicles, as they must be capable of catching most other vehicles on the road. In addition, they may be fitted with special bumpers designed to force other vehicles off the road. They may also have different type of visual and audible warning, with special audible warnings which can be heard from a greater distance.
Multi Purpose Car - Some police forces do not distinguish between Patrol, Response and Traffic cars, and may use one vehicle to fulfil some or all roles. These cars usually end up being a compromise between the different functions, and may not be very good for any of them.
Community liaison car - This type of car is used by some forces, and is a standard production car, visibly marked, by without audible and visual warning devices. It is used by community police officers to show a presence, and transport them between jobs, but does not respond to emergencies.
Unmarked car - Many forces also operate unmarked cars, in any of the roles shown above, but most frequently in traffic and as response cars for detectives. They have the advantage of not being immediately recognisable by potential criminals (although closer inspection by a trained eye usually reveals the secret). For this reason they are a valuable tool in catching criminals 'in the act'
Dog Unit Car (K9) - This type of car, usually a station wagon or car based van, is used to transport police dogs to and from incidents
Surveillance car - Many forces operate dedicated surveillance cars. These cars can be marked or unmarked, and are there to gather evidence of any criminal offence being committed. Overt marked cars may have obvious CCTV cameras mounted on the roof to discourage wrongdoing, whereas unmarked would have them hidden inside
High visibility decoy car - Some police forces use vehicles (or sometimes fake 'cut outs' of vehicles) to deter crime in a certain area. They may be old vehicles retired from use, stock models made to look like police cars, or simply a metal sign, made to look like a police car. They are placed in areas thought to be susceptible to crime in order to provide a high visiblity presence without committing an officer. In 2005, Virginia's (United States) 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. . .
Trap cars - Police forces may operate cars used to trap criminals who are stealing cars (by carjacking, breaking in or other means). The car is taken to a place where it is known to be at risk of theft, and allowed to be stolen. The police then track the vehicle, and can kill the engine by remote control, along with locking the doors.
Rescue Unit - In some jurisdictions, the Police may operate the rescue service, and special units will be required for this.
Demonstration Cars - Some forces operate cars which are not for active duty, but simply for display. These are often high performance or modified cars, sometimes seized from criminals, used to try and get across specific messages (such as with the D.A.R.E. programme), or to help break down barriers with certain groups (such as using a car with modified 'jumping' suspension as a talking point with youths)

[edit] Police car equipment

Police cars are usually common passenger car models, which are upgraded to the specification required by the purchasing force (or forces). This upgrade package may be provided by the manufacturer (as is almost universally true of police vehicles in the United States) as part of their fleet package, or by a third party who retrofit the equipment aftermarket (as happens in many other countries).

Typical modifications a police car might undergo include adjustments for higher durability, speed and capability for high mileage driving . 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 or the installation of a larger or more powerful engine than would be standard in that model. See here and here for North American design change specifics to the Ford Crown Victoria.

It is also usual to upgrade the electrics of the car, in order to accommodate the use of additional electronic equipment.

Police cars usually also have audible and visual warnings, as they have to respond to emergencies quickly, and may need visual warnings to protect themselves from traffic, and make themselves seen to other units at an incident.

In many countries, use of the audible and visual warnings affords the officer a degree of exemption from road traffic laws (such as the right to exceed speed limits, treat red stop lights as give way etc.) and may also infer a duty on other motorists to move out of the direction of passage of the police car (or face possible prosecution)

[edit] Visual Warnings

Visual warnings on a police car can be of two types - either passive or active.

[edit] Passive visual warnings

The passive visual warnings are usually inherently linked to the design of the vehicle, and involve the use of high contrast patterns. Older vehicles (and those in developing countries) are more likely to have their pattern painted on, whereas modern police cars generally carry the retro-reflective designs which reflect light from car headlights or torches (and was invented by 3M). Popular patterns include 'checker board' (alternate coloured squares, sometimes also called 'Battenburg', named after a type of cake), chevrons (arrowheads - often pointed towards the front of the vehicle if on the side, or pointing vertically upwards on the rear) or stripes (along the side - these were the first type or retro-reflective device introduced, as the original 3M reflective material only came in tape form). In some countries, in addition to retro-reflective markings, the vehicles are now painted in a bright yellow or orange colour underneath, in order to maximise visual impact.

Another passive marking form is the word POLICE spelled out in reverse on the front of the vehicle. This enables drivers of other vehicles to more easily identify an approaching police vehicle in their rear view mirrors. The police car may also display the telephone number which may be used to summon assistance, along with the operating force (e.g. Sheriff, Police, Military Police etc.)

[edit] Active visual warnings

The active visual warnings are usually in the form of flashing coloured lights (also known as 'beacons' or 'lightbars'). These flash in order to attract the attention of other road users as the police car approaches, or to provide warning to motorists approaching a stopped ambulance in a dangerous position on the road. Common colours for police warning beacons are blue and red, and this varies by country (and sometimes by operator). The beacons can be made to flash via a range of techniques, dependent on the technology used. The original method was to place a spinning mirror which moves around a light bulb, called a 'rotating beacon'. More modern methods include the use of strobe lights, which are usually brighter, and can be programmed to produce specific patterns (such as a left -> right pattern when parked on the left hand side of the road, indicating to other road users that they should move out away from the vehicle). There is also the more widespread use of LED flashing lights as they are low profile and low energy. More information on Emergency vehicle equipment.

[edit] Audible warnings

In addition to visual warnings, most police cars are also fitted with audible warnings, sometimes known as sirens, which can alert people and vehicles to the presence of an emergency vehicle before they can be seen. The first audible warnings were mechanical bells, mounted to either the front or roof of the car. Most modern vehicles are now fitted with electronic sirens, which can produce a range of different noises. Police driving training often includes the use of different noises depending on traffic conditions and manoeuvre being performed. For instance, on a clear road, approaching a junction, the 'wail' setting may be used, which gives a long up and down variation, with a unbroken tone, whereas, in heavy slow traffic, a 'yelp' setting may be preferred, which is like a wail, but sped up. The speakers for modern sirens can be located in several places on the vehicle, including being integral to the lightbar, or hidden in the grill. Some vehicles may also be fitted with airhorn audible warnings.

A more recent development is the use of the RDS system of car radios, whereby the vehicle can be fitted with a short range FM transmitter, set to RDS code 31, which interrupts the radio of all cars within range, in the manner of a traffic broadcast, but in such a way that the user of the receiving radio is unable to opt out of the message (as with traffic broadcasts). This feature is built in to all RDS radios for use in national emergency broadcast systems, but short range units on emergency vehicles can prove an effective means of alerting traffic to their presence, although is not able to alert pedestrians and non-RDS radio users.

[edit] Police Specific Equipment

Police officers, especially in the developed world, may also have a range of additional equipment available to them, which may include:

Two Way Radio - One of the most important pieces of equipment in modern law enforcement. More recently many forces world wide have moved from traditional UHF/VHF sets, which can be monitored externally, to more secure systems, such as those working on a GSM system, such as TETRA
Suspect Transport Enclosures - These are dividers which ensure that a rear seat passenger (a suspect) is unable to attack the driver or passenger, causing danger to the officer and to themselves. In some cases, these may be simple bars or grilles, although they can be upgraded to include features such as bullet proof glass.
Firearm lockers - Many police vehicles are equipped with lockers in which to store firearms. These are usually tactical firearms such as shotguns or assault rifles, which would not normally be carried on the person of the officer.
Mobile Data Terminal - Many police cars are fitted with Mobile Data Terminals (or MDTs), which are connected wirelessly to the police central computer, and enable to officer to call up details such as vehicle licence details, offender records, and incident logs.
Vehicle tracking system - Some Police vehicles, especially traffic units, may be fitted with equipment which will alert the officers to the presence nearby of a stolen vehicle fitted with a special transponder, and guide them towards it, using GPS or simpler radio triangulation
Evidence gathering CCTV - Police vehicles can be fitted with video cameras used to record activity either inside or outside the car. They may also be fitted with sound recording facilities. This can then later be used in a court to prove or disprove witness statements, or act as evidence in itself (such as evidence of a traffic violation)
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) - This computerised system uses cameras to observe the number plates of all vehicles passing or being passed by the police car, and alerts the driver or user to any cars which are on a 'watch list' as being stolen, used in crime, or having not paid vehicle duty.
Speed Recognition Device - Some police cars are fitted with devices to measure the speed of vehicles being followed, usually through a system of following the vehicle over 2 points a set distance apart. This is separate to any radar gun device which is likely to be handheld, and not attached to the vehicle.
Remote rear door locking - This enables officers in the front to remotely control the rear locks - usually used in conjunction with a transport enclosure.
Ramming pads - These rubberised pads are fitted to the chassis of the car, to allow the car to be used as a battering ram, or to push other vehicles off the road.

[edit] Police Cars by country

[edit] North America

Ontario Provincial Police car

Since the 1920s, the New York City Police Department has employed a fleet of Radio Motor Patrol vehicles to aid in its fight against crime in the city.

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. Police switched to intermediates, such as the Plymouth Satellite, Ford Torino and AMC Matador, in the 1960s. The Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice were re-adopted as standard when the models were downsized in the late 1970s. Since the termination of the Chevrolet Caprice product, 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 other types (front-wheel drive, smaller engine) police vehicles as well, and a few jurisdictions (primarily in Canada) use these vehicles.

There are many jurisdictions that use the Chevrolet Impala, which in its current configuration is a front wheel drive V6. The Dodge Charger (LX) is the most likely challenger to the Crown Victoria as a RWD V8 patrol 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 Hemi Dodge Chargers for testing. The Charger has shown great promise as a police car, being faster, more modern, and more fuel efficient than the commonly used Ford Crown Victoria.^{[original research?]} Some complaints about the Charger though are its limited rear visibility and smaller trunk than the Crown Victoria. At the end of 2006, multiple Dodge Chargers have been put into the NYPD fleet for citywide testing. 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 due to its additional power and speed. As of 2007, the Alameda County (California) Sheriff's Office has plans as well to upgrade to the Dodge Charger.

Some state highway patrols (such as California) adopted pony cars such as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro or even AMC Javelin as high-speed pursuit vehicles.

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. The fleet vehicles that were used typically came painted in a single color, most commonly white or black, from the factory and were used as such. The contrasting black or white color was added to make the vehicle stand out from civilian vehicles.

Beginning in the 1970s, police vehicle markings have become increasingly stylistic, with widespread use of computer-graphics and vinyl striping. While black and white designs are still in use in many jurisdictions, cars may range from being all white to completely black. Blues and greens of various hues 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 agency's badge or the city seal, often in reflective finish. Markings such as emergency telephone numbers, generic anti-drug or anti-crime messages, or even website URLs are also common. Some agencies also have identification numbers printed on the roofs of patrol cars for identification from aircraft, or identification of specialized units, such K-9 units or supervisors.

Currently, in the United States, the paint scheme for each fleet is determined by either by the individual agency or by uniform state legislation.^{[citation needed]} Usually, state laws exist that establish standards for police vehicle markings, and proscribe civilian vehicles from using certain markings or paint schemes.

[edit] United Kingdom

Police cars of the UK have in recent years been diesel models of ordinary production cars often chosen because they are built in the UK. These can include Fords, Vauxhalls and Land Rovers. However the high powered larger cars used for pursuits are often BMWs or Volvos. Recently a decision was taken to standardise the fuel used by all police vehicles and diesel was chosen as the fuel of choice. Despite the power disadvantage a diesel engine has in comparison to a similarly sized petrol counterpart it does provide better fuel economy. It also means that the cars can use the same fuel as the vans and larger vehicles which means far simpler logistics as well as cost savings. However, within the past 5 years the fuel choice has changed again. Panda Cars (such as the Astra or Fiesta) use a standard 1.6 or 1.7 Litre Turbo Diesel Engine, but are also fitted with police specification brakes and suspension. Traffic Units are now able to use the more powerful petrol engines. Most forces tend to use Vauxhall Vectras and Omegas, which usually use a 3.0 or 3.2 Litre Injection engine as standard, or Volvo V70 T5 and S50/70 T5 Versions which usually use a 2.4 Litre Turbo Charged Petrol engine, around 210 Brake Horsepower. The Metropolitan Police use a Vauxhall Vectra as their standard "Area Car" which is used for high speed emergency response, however, these are limited to only using a 3.0L Turbo Diesel Engine. Many forces are also now using the high performance Skoda Octavia vRS models in both estate and saloon guise.

In the United Kingdom Police vehicles come from the most basic "POLICE" wordings on the door and a crest to yellow and blue battenburg livery down the side of the vehicle. In many forces most of the Traffic Patrol Vehicles or RPUs (Road Policing Units) are in liveries in full battenburg down the side with yellow up rights, red and yellow chevrons on the rear and the force crest and the word "POLICE" on the bonnet. All the markings put on Police Vehicles in the United Kingdom are high visibility fluorescent graphics. These make the vehicles really show up in day time and even more so at night time. The body colour of Police Vehicles in the United Kingdom is changing it has always been white but now more and more silver vehicles are coming in and now some Traffic vehicles and MSD (Mobile Support Division) units are a very dark blue this is being used by Essex Police & Cambridge Police. The Metropolitan Police (and some other forces) now exclusively buy silver coloured police cars as it was found that there was little demand for white cars when reselling the vehicles at auction. Police vehicles in the United Kingdom come with some very expensive light bars fitted out with the latest strobe and LED lights, Matrix boards and spot lights.

[edit] Germany

A German patrol car from the Hamburg police department with a silver and blue colour scheme used in 2002.

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 BMW and Audi vehicles. 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.

Hunter green has traditionally been the colour associated with police in Germany. Vehicles were generally painted green with usually white lettering, or white with bright green stripes. More recently, German police cars have been painted silver with light blue fluorescent stripes.

[edit] Poland

Patrol cars in Poland come from a number of manufacturers, the oldest being steadily phased out FSO Polonez (manufactured in Poland). Today, most common types include various models from Škoda, Volkswagen, Opel and other. Traditionally, they are painted in dark blue with white stripes and the word "POLICJA" on both sides. However, currently (2007), in an attempt to conform to EU standards, the scheme is being modified to silver/blue (similar to modern German police cars).

[edit] Switzerland

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

[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. Hong Kong Police vehicles have been influenced by British schemes and still today retain them.

[edit] Sweden

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.

[edit] Iceland

In Iceland police vehicles are white with blue letter marking Lögreglan which is Icelandic for Police. The cars also have blue and red stripes with the Icelandic police star overlaying the stripes on the front doors. In recent times blue and yellow angular stripes on the sides of the cars have also been applied. All markings are of reflective material.

[edit] India

The Jeep is the most common police car in India. In recent years, other similar vehicles such as the Maruti Gypsy have also come into use.

[edit] South Africa

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

[edit] Australia

Police cars in Australia and New Zealand also use the white predominately, with a checkered strip on the side. Australia use a mix of Holden Commodores, Toyota Aurions and Ford Falcons as their cars of choice, in both sedan and wagon forms, equipped with either 6-cylinder (general) or V8 engines (pursuit applications). Several other vehicles are used by special sections of Police forces including Vans for Traffic Accident Investigations and specially modified vans call Paddy Wagons for the detention of multiple prisoners. In 2007 for Easter, they launched new vehicles, v8 engines, they are orange and black squars with new features.

[edit] New Zealand

In New Zealand the Holden Commodore is the current generic vehicle of choice for the Police - they have used Ford Falcons in the past however. Liveries are checkered orange-blue (general) or yellow-blue (pursuit). Both Commodore sedan and wagon bodies are used - normally in V6 form and optionally with an LPG tank fitted.

[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] Gallery

[edit] Americas

Crown Victoria

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Crown Victoria	Hopewell Township Police Department Crown Victoria	New York Police Department Crown Victoria RMP	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

Chevrolet Tahoe of the Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania police department

Chevrolet Tahoe police SUV of Coppell, Texas

2006 Chevy Tahoe Greensboro, NC

Dodge Charger

Dodge Charger of the Michigan State Police

Dodge Charger demonstration police car

Other

1957 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	Georgia State Patrol BMW 318i used during the 1996 Olympics

[edit] Asia/Oceania

A Hong Kong Police vehicle.	Nissan Skyline GT-R Police car.	Toyota Crown Police car.	Japanese Police car(Nissan Crew).
Japanese Police van(Nissan Caravan).	Nissan Cedric Patrol car, Japan.	Thai Police car.	Kerala Police Jeep.
A Hong Kong(China) 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 - Fun vehicle, GDR police used Wartburg	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.	1974 Plymouth Valiant Swedish police car in the period black and white paint.
Italian Fiat Stilo Police car	London Metropolitan Police Vauxhall Vectra V6 CDI.	Red London Metropolitan Police Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG) car (BMW 5 series).	Police bus Autosan A1010T
Catalan Police car (Spain)	Dutch police van