Police car

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A police car is a vehicle used by a police force to assist with their duties. Typical uses of a police car include transportation 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 crime, to make traffic stops on suspects, or to detain and transport criminal suspects.

The world's first police car was an electric police wagon on the streets of Akron, Ohio in 1899. It could reach 16 mph and travel 30 miles before its battery needed to be recharged.^[1] The car was built by city mechanical engineer Frank Loomis. The $2,400 vehicle was equipped with electric lights, gongs and a stretcher. The car's first assignment was to pick up an intoxicated man at Main and Exchange streets.^[2]

Police cars have nicknames such as (police) cruiser, squad car, prowler, radio car, panda car, area car, scout car, 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. Depending on the configuration of the emergency lights, a police car may also be called a marked unit, RMP (Radio Motor Patrol) or slick top. Undercover cars can be called "Silver Bullets".

Contents 1 Usage 2 Functional types 3 Equipment 3.1 Audible and visual warnings 3.1.1 Passive visual warnings 3.1.2 Active visual warnings 3.1.3 Audible warnings 3.2 Police-specific equipment 4 Use by country 5 Police cars in popular culture 6 Gallery 6.1 Americas 6.2 Asia/Oceania 6.3 Europe 7 References 8 See also 8.1 General 8.2 Other types of emergency vehicles 8.3 Manufacturers 9 External links

[edit] Usage

In some areas of the world, the police car has become more widely used than officers or constables "walking a beat". This is because there has been a shift in the focus of policing away from high visibility with "an officer on every street corner" to more focused services^{[citation needed]}, sending officers out in response to incidents, and also allowing patrols to cover a much greater area in less time.

Advocates^[who?] of community policing often cite this shift in to vehicles, and away from face to face contact, as a reason for breakdowns in relations with the community. As such, these organizations 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 led to some countries and forces, such as Britain introducing more walking patrols, using either fully sworn Police Officers or Police Community Support Officers.

[edit] Functional types

There are several types of police car.

1. Patrol car - The car used to replace walking for the 'beat' police officer.^[3] Their primary function is to convey normal police officers between their duties (taking statements, visiting witnesses etc.), and are also to respond to emergencies,^[4] and as such would most likely be fitted with visual and audible warnings.
2. 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 usually only used to respond to emergency incidents, so are designed to travel fast, and may carry specialist equipment (such as large firearms)^[5][6][7]
3. Traffic car - Also known as Road 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. They may be fitted with special bumpers designed to force vehicles off the road. They may also have visual and audible warnings, with special audible warnings which can be heard from a greater distance. In some police forces, the term Traffic Car may refer to cars specifically equipped for traffic control in addition to enforcing traffic laws. As such, these cars may differ only slightly from a Patrol Car, including having Radar and Laser speed detection equipment, traffic cones and flares, and traffic control signs.
4. Multi purpose car - Some police forces do not distinguish between Patrol, Response and Traffic cars, and may use one vehicle to fulfill some or all roles. These cars are usually a compromise between the different functions.
5. Community liaison car - This is a standard production car, visibly marked, but 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.^[8][9]
6. 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. For this reason they are a valuable tool in catching criminals 'in the act'.^[10] In some areas, these may be known as slick top cars, ghost cars, stealth units, or, in Citizens Band vernacular, a "plain brown wrapper."
7. Dog unit Car (K9) - This type of car is used to transport police dogs. In some jurisdictions, this will be a station wagon or car based van, due to the installation of cages to carry the dogs.^[11]
8. Surveillance car - Forces may operate surveillance cars. These cars can be marked or unmarked, and are there to gather evidence of any criminal offence. Overt marked cars may have CCTV cameras mounted on the roof to discourage wrongdoing, whereas unmarked cars would have them hidden inside. These types of vehicles are very common in the UK
9. High visibility decoy car - Some police forces use vehicles (or sometimes fake 'cut outs' of vehicles) to deter crime. They may be old vehicles retired from use, stock models made to look like police cars, or 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 visibility presence without committing an officer. In 2005, Virginia's (United States) legislature considered a bill which provided, in part: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...^[12]
10. Bait car - 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, and locking the doors. The same technique can be used to place portable items of value such as GPS units with an inbuilt tracker.
11. Rescue unit - In some jurisdictions, the Police may operate the rescue service, and special units will be required for this.
12. Demonstration cars - 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 to get across specific messages (such as with the D.A.R.E. program), 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] Equipment

Main article: Emergency vehicle equipment

Police cars are usually passenger car models which are upgraded to the specifications required by the purchasing force. Several vehicle manufacturers, such as Ford and General Motors, provide a "police package" option, which is built to police specifications in the factory. Police forces may add to these modifications by adding their own equipment and making their own modifications after purchasing a vehicle.

Modifications a police car might undergo include adjustments for higher durability, speed, high mileage driving and long periods of idling at a higher temperature. This is usually accomplished by heavy duty suspension, brakes, calibrated speedometer, tires, alternator, transmission and cooling systems, and also sometimes includes slight modifications to the car's stock engine or the installation of a more powerful engine than would be standard in that model. It is also usual to upgrade the capacity of the electrics of the car to accommodate the use of additional electronic equipment.

[edit] Audible and visual warnings

Police vehicles are often fitted with audible and visual warning systems to alert other motorists of their approach or position on the road.

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)

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

[edit] Passive visual warnings

Passive visual warnings are the markings on the vehicle. Police vehicle markings usually make use of bright colours or strong contrast with the base colour of the vehicle. Modern police vehicles in some countries have retroreflective markings which reflect light for better visibility at night. Other police vehicles may only have painted on or non-reflective markings. Most marked police vehicles in the United Kingdom have reflective Battenburg markings on the sides, which are large blue and yellow rectangles.^[13] These markings are designed to have high contrast and be highly visible on the road, to deter crime and improve safety.

Police vehicle marking schemes usually include the word "Police" or similar phrase (such as "State Trooper" or "Highway Patrol") or the force's crest.

Some police forces use unmarked vehicles, which do not have any passive visual warnings at all.

[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 vehicle in a dangerous position on the road. Common colours for police warning beacons are blue and red, however this often varies by force. Several types of flashing lights are used, such as rotating beacons, halogen lights, or light emitting diode strobes. Some police forces also use arrow sticks to direct traffic, or message display boards to provide short messages or instructions to motorists. The headlights of some vehicles can be made to flash, or small strobe lights can be fitted in the headlight/tail light/indicator lights of the vehicle.

[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. A later development was the rotating air siren, which made noise when air moved past it. 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 an unbroken tone, whereas, in heavy slow traffic, a 'yelp' setting may be preferred, which is like a wail, but sped up. Some vehicles may also be fitted with airhorn audible warnings.

A 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 into 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 additional equipment may include:

• Two way radio - One of the most important pieces of equipment in modern law enforcement, and strongly linked with the development of the police car.^{[citation needed]} Many forces 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
• Equipment Consoles - Are used to house two way radios, light and siren switches. Some may be equipped with locking compartments for safe storage of firearms, file compartments and cup holders.
• Suspect transport enclosures - These are dividers which ensure that a rear seat passenger (a suspect) is unable to attack the driver or passenger. These may be simple bars or grilles, although they can include bullet proof glass.
• Firearm lockers - In certain countries some police vehicles are equipped with lockers in which to store firearms. These are usually tactical firearms such as shotguns or patrol 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 via wireless methods to the police central computer, and enable the officer to call up information 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, such as ProViDa, 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.
• Push Bumper (aka Nudge Bars) - Fitted to the chassis of the car and located to augment the front bumper, to allow the car to be used as a battering ram, or to push other vehicles off the road.

[edit] Use by country

[edit] Police cars in popular culture

Police chases have been dramatized in television programs and movies. If celebrities or unusual circumstances are involved, they may become major news features as viewed from an airborne camera.

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

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[edit] Americas

Crown Victoria

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Crown Victoria	Hopewell Township Police Department Crown Victoria	New York City Police Department Crown Victoria RMP	New York City Police Department Auxiliary Police Crown Victoria RMP
New York City Police Department Auxiliary Police Crown Victoria RMP	Halton Regional Police Crown Victoria	Lincolnton, Georgia Police Department Crown Victoria	Stafford Police Department, Stafford, Texas Crown Victoria
Stafford Police Department, Stafford, Texas 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	Harris County Sheriff's Office, Houston, Texas
New York City Police Department Auxiliary Police Impala

Chevrolet Tahoe

Chevrolet Tahoe of the Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania police department

Chevrolet Tahoe police SUV of Coppell, Texas

Delaware River Port Authority Tahoe. Camden, New Jersey

2006 Chevy Tahoe Greensboro, NC

Dodge Charger

Dodge Charger of the Michigan State Police

Dodge Charger demonstration police car

Dodge Charger of the NYPD Highway Patrol

Other

1937 Ford - Louisiana State Police Patrol Car	North Las Vegas Police Car	1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 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
Police bus of Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo, in Brazil	GM Astra Sedan, Highway Military Police patrol - São Paulo State, Brazil (Polícia Rodoviária do Estado de São Paulo)	GM Blazer of ROTA (Tobias de Aguiar Ostensive Patrol), São Paulo State, Brazil

[edit] Asia/Oceania

A Chinese VW Santana Police car in Beijing	A Chinese Ford Focus Police car	A Hong Kong Police Mercedes Sprinter.	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 Mercedes Sprinter.	Mitsubishi GTO patrol car, Japan.
Ford XR8 used by Victoria Police for traffic duties.	Holden Commodore used by Victoria Police for traffic duties.	Ford Falcon used by New South Wales Police Force.	Korean City Patrol Car (Hyundai Sonata).
A Singapore Hilux Police Van.	A Singapore Subaru Impreza WRX Expressway Patrol vehicle	A Chennai Police Hyundai Accent patrol car.	New Zealand Highway Patrol Holden Commodore
New Zealand GDB Holden Commodore	A New Zealand car outfitted for undercover police use.	Police car in the United Arab Emirates	Ford Falcon used by Australian Federal Police in Canberra.

[edit] Europe

Two vans of the German Police, left one in green (old), right one in blue (new) colour theme	GAZ Volga former East German Police Car	A Peugeot 406 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).
Portuguese Public Security Police Skoda Octavia patrol car	A London Metropolitan Police Vauxhall Vectra	A Northumbria Police Ford Transit Van, England	Finnish police van ("Musta-Maija" in Finnish) (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.	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	One of the Lamborghini Gallardo of the Italian police.	Red London Metropolitan Police Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG) car (BMW 5 series).
Norwegian police van Mercedes Benz Vito	Local police Opel Astra interception vehicle (police zone Kruibeke / Temse; Belgium)	Local police Nissan Patrol (police zone Kruibeke / Temse; Belgium)	Older police commando truck (Antwerp police; Belgium)
Federal police Volvo S60 (Motorway Police of Oost-Vlaanderen; Belgium)	Federal police BMW R1100 RT motorcycles (Motorway Police; Belgium)	Police bus Autosan A1010T (Poland)	Seat Altea Catalan Police car (Spain)
Smart Vienna Police Car (Austria)	Mercedes police car (Plovdiv, Bulgaria)	British police Lamborghini Gallardo (used for publicity purposes only)	French Peugeot 307 police car
Greek Citroën Xsara Police Car (Corfu)

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] General

• Armoured personnel carrier
• Current models of police cars used in the US
• Emergency vehicle
• Mounted police
• Paddywagon
• Road Policing Unit
• Window film

[edit] Other types of emergency vehicles

• Police ambulance
• Police bicycle
• Police blimp
• Police boat
• Police Emergency Wagon
• Police helicopter
• Police motorcycle
• Police plane
• Police truck
• Police van
• Panda car
• SWAT van
• Jam sandwich (slang)
• Military police vehicle
• Fire chief's vehicle
• D.A.R.E. Car

[edit] Manufacturers

• Ford Crown Victoria
• Chevy Impala
• Carbon Motors
• BMW AG
• Mercedes-Benz

[edit] External links

• Police car showrooms from various manufacturers:
  • Ford (site will load only under HTTPS, but no sensitive information is required to view)
  • General Motors
  • Volvo

• New York Times Article on the new police edition Dodge Charger