What do the cops drive where you live?

". ." (xllx) 12/30/2013 at 11:34 • Filed to: police cars

3

100

In my town there is a very wide selection of vehicles you have to watch out for.

Current vehicles my local police uses include:
- Alfa Romeo 159 (marked, all fitted with speed measuring cameras front and back)
- Ford Mondeo mk. IV Estate and Liftback (marked and unmarked, all fitted with speed measuring cameras front and back)
- Kia cee'd estate (marked, most fitted with cameras)
- Fiat Ducato (marked and unmarked, no idea if they can measure your speed)
- Mercedes Sprinter (marked and unmarked, no idea about gizmos fitted)
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X (unmarked, cameras front and back)
- Opel Vectra C (unmarked, all with speed cameras front and back)
- Opel Insignia (unmarked, all with speed cameras front and back)
- VW Passat V6 B7 (unmarked, all with speed cameras front and back)
- Ford Mondeo mk. III (unmarked, cameras front and back, not sure if they're still around)
- Mercedes Vito (unmarked, cameras front and back)
- Seat Leon Cupra (unmarked, no idea if those have cameras)
- Fiat Grande Punto (unmarked, no cameras)
- VW T4 (marked (old, non EU colours), those are either completely decomissioned now or only used if they're needed)
- Peugeot 307 (marked (old, non EU colours), either decomissioned or used very rarely)
- Ford Focus mk. 1 (marked (old, non EU colours), either decomissioned or used very rarely)

The first 5 cars make the bulk of the force here, but it's the next few that you have to be most wary about. They're always on the hunt. It's quite annoying really, because some of those are very common cars and you can never relax when you see one behind. Those cop cars often use fake plates too, so memorising their numbers won't do much good.

I also believe my local police force had an unmarked E60 M5 at some point, but from what I heard it got totaled while used to secure an accident scene.

And here are some photos:

Nibbles > . . 12/30/2013 at 11:42

0

There's a few of those Chevy police units, but primarily they still use Panthers and Tahoes.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > . . 12/30/2013 at 11:44

2

Crown Victorias

Taurus

Chargers a nearby town has an SRT8

Caprices

Tahoes

And one Explorer

Where have all the lightweights gone? > . . 12/30/2013 at 11:44

7

This is what I saw when I was at college.

. . > Where have all the lightweights gone? 12/30/2013 at 11:45

6

That's about as non threatening as it gets. Ha ha.

davedave1111 > . . 12/30/2013 at 11:49

1

More detail than you could possibly want here:

http://www.met.police.uk/foi/pdfs/discl…

Lists every single vehicle in use by the Metropolitan Police, what it's used for, age, and so-on. Main points are Astras for patrol work, 5-Series for traffic work, some bikes, and a whole bunch of vans and minibuses for support. Also a bunch of scooters for support, which presumably are used to get specialists to crime scenes through London traffic, and that kind of thing. Unless 'support' includes PCSOs as well, or something.

WolfmanJimCBW > . . 12/30/2013 at 11:54

0

My local PD uses Crown Vics, Impalas, Tahoes, and Chargers. The best part, none of their Chargers are SRT and half don't have radar equipped.

Textured Soy Protein > . . 12/30/2013 at 11:56

12

I live in Madison, WI. The most common police car is the Ford Crown Victoria:

Next most common is the Dodge Charger, both the current and older one.

They have a smaller number of Ford Taurus squad cars:

The K-9 units of both the city police and University of Wisconsin police tend to have Ford Explorers:

Some of the outlying areas have started getting the new Chevy Caprice, but so far in town I've only seen them being used as unmarked (detectives?) cars.

There's a scattering of Dodge Magnums still in service, including the rat bastard Wisconsin State Patrol always camping out on the median on the highways.

. . > Textured Soy Protein 12/30/2013 at 11:58

1

Doesn't American Police ever use vans?

Textured Soy Protein > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:00

1

Not really. You mostly see them with big SUVs including the Chevy Tahoe & Suburban, and Ford Explorer & Expedition.

. . > Textured Soy Protein 12/30/2013 at 12:01

0

O'er here half of the bloody police cars are vans, while I've never, ever seen a popo SUV.

KnowsAboutCars > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:01

3

VW Transporter. I think most police cars here are these.

Skoda Octavia

Ford Mondeo

They also have one of these: a Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake

Where have all the lightweights gone? > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:03

2

I laughed for a very long time when I saw them around campus. I thought about it for a bit, and it makes sense for a college campus. Most of the time, they're either at idle in front of a building or patrolling at low speeds around campus.

tommyh4 > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:04

1

Just SS Camaros for Louisiana

. . > Where have all the lightweights gone? 12/30/2013 at 12:05

0

Maybe they should fit them with massive bodykits to make them a bit more scary? Although that'd probably make them even more hilarious.

wisc47 > Textured Soy Protein 12/30/2013 at 12:07

2

I live in Madison, WI too! I had no idea the Highway patrol was still using Magnums, I haven't seen any around at all. Same with the Caprice; haven't seen a single one.

Highbury > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:08

1

Tremble before our formidable fleet of shabby, white Astras.

iDriveCode3 > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:09

1

My god, how big of a city is this? I can't imagine having to maintain so many different types of vehicles.

Our Ford Crown Vic's are slowly being replaced as they age out. We had a Taurus but didn't like it; I think we'll be sticking with Explorers from here on out, and an Expedition as our Watch Commander's vehicle. Same with California Highway Patrol; they're purchasing Explorers almost exclusively.

Aldairion > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:10

0

Up around Manhattan, KS, County cops get Crown Victorias and I've seen the occasional Ford Super Duty truck. Campus cops for Kansas State University have Ford Tauruses and Explorers. The State Troopers drive Chargers.

MooseKnuckles > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:11

1

For typical patrol cars used by my local (regional) police and also the provincial police. These are also only the cars I have personally seen, I know the OPP has stuff like a Civic Si and Maserati GT, I just haven't seen them.
Crown Vic
Silverado
Impala
F150
Tahoe
Taurus
Magnum
Econoline
Savana
Harleys
Viper
Explorer
Charger

damthisburnershitsucks > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:11

0

these spread like wildfire in my area of NH, once one town got one they all bought them, now they peel out all the time...

next they'll all want this after seeing Salinas, CA get one ;-)

Where have all the lightweights gone? > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:12

1

What truly makes them hilarious is the amount of gear they're being required to carry. I saw one the last time I was up there carrying a full riot shield. It took up the entire trunk!

If they're going to take up that much space with gear, the Prius V might not be a bad idea.

MassachusettsMuscle > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:13

2

Rochester, NY (Monroe County) has a 5th gen Mustang GT. They must use it to hunt Jalops in their spare time, seeing how this JALOPNIK plated Focus can be seen terrorizing the highways around here!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

catram > KnowsAboutCars 12/30/2013 at 12:13

0

What Country is it? And why sometimes is POLIS and some other times is POLIISI?

Thanks

damthisburnershitsucks > Where have all the lightweights gone? 12/30/2013 at 12:14

0

cop 1: "why are you braking, they're getting away"

cop 2: "I gotta recharge the batteries"

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:15

0

Caprices

Taurus

Chargers both old and new

Crown Vics

Challenger

Chevy Trucks

Plus Impalas, Tahoes, Expeditions, a couple of Magnum K9 units, Mustangs and a few old model Taurus court units.

FadedGlory > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:15

0

Don't try to outrun the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. There are a few modified Hayabusa's lurking around.

. . > iDriveCode3 12/30/2013 at 12:15

0

My town has a population of about 300 000 people, so it's not very large.

My hovercraft is full of eels > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:16

1

Mostly 5-door Opel H Astras with the 1.6 115 HP petrol engine:

They also use some Nissan Pathfinders inherited from the Border Patrol (hence the green colour):

Motorway cops use Skoda Octavia RSs (2.0 TFSI):

There are some other types like Merc Sprinters, Opel Combos, VW Caddys. They also use a 4-door Astra G in my city. In other parts of the country there are some other police vehicles (an Audi TT donated by the Audi factory, some A8s for escorting convoys, and even a couple of Smart Fortwos, etc.), but the 3 types listed above cover most of their fleet.

American4Hoon > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:16

0

Our tiny upstate NY village has a variety of Impalas, Chargers, etc., likely because they aren't doing the service themselves and probably only buy one or two at a time. The bordering city still has a ton of Clown Vics, some Chargers, random SUVs for supervisors. Nothing too unusual. I've noticed NYSP had a few marked "Tauri" in the medians this weekend along with their staple Vics and Tahoes.

I still have yet to see a Caprice anywhere in the area though. Part of it could be that because we're the state capital, a lot of agencies will get in on the bid build with the NYSP to save money. There's also a strong leaning my most departments to just buy whatever their favorite "bigger" department is in to, figuring it's a safe bet.

DollaMoneyAve > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:17

0

Marked NYPD cars include: Crown Vic, Taurus, Escape, Fusion, Charger, Impala, Altima, Tahoe, Explorer, Sprinter, GM 3500 van. Unmarked cars are usually of this group, but can be anything from a Dodge Grand Caravan to a Mazda 6.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:17

2

There are a few Crown Vics left, but most have been fazed out for Caprices, Tahoes, and even the occasional Explorer. The state troopers also have some panthers, but they mostly use these Chargers or F250s in either black, white or grey. Also, the state troopers seem to have a LOT of unmarked Chargers.

PatBateman > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:18

4

Just outside of Houston. The locals use Chargers and Tahoes almost exclusively now. The SO uses Chargers and Chevy/Ford pick ups.

The state troopers have Chargers, Tahoes, and recently added CHALLENGERS to their fleet.

Andraz3d > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:18

2

Hi guys

In Slovenia, high speed pursuit vehicles are Skoda Octavia RS, VW Passat 2.0 TFSI, a few Alfas 159 v6, a few Honda Accord 2.4s, a few Mondeos V6, a few Vectras v6. But mainly Skoda Octavia RS.

SUVs are predominately covered by VW Touaregs and Nissan Terranos.

Vans are VW TDIs, usually with syncro.

Average police cars are mainly Skoda Octavia, Renault Megane caravan...

Above is Skoda Octavia RS high pursuit from Slovenian police, behind it is classical Slovenian police Skoda Octavia.

Above you can see the latest batch of high pursuit VW Passats 2.0 TFSI.

Mustang 'DontHitTheCrowd' GT > MooseKnuckles 12/30/2013 at 12:18

4

Did you say.. Viper?
Tell me more.

'olJackBurtonAlwaysSays > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:19

0

I work in the parts store that supplies the local county. It's the Crown Vic hands down. We carry the Police spec brakes for them always in stock.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:20

0

It's a mix of Volvo estates, BMW 3-series estates, Focus' and the odd Jaguar XF.

Then there's the high-speed pursuit Imprezas and the like.

kotaKat > Mustang 'DontHitTheCrowd' GT 12/30/2013 at 12:21

0

Wouldn't surprise me if the Viper was in use on the 401.

//I'm American, but I was a stone's throw away from the 401... now I'm about a 30 minute hop away.

Seitz > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:22

0

In the US it's very standard

Crown Vics (40%)
Chargers (20%)
Taurus (15%)
Caprice (15%)
Explorer (5%)
Tahoe (5%)

That may vary from place to place, especially since Crown Vics are being phased out. For instance, in Cincinnati we have more Caprices than Chargers or Taurus.

The point in America is, no police cars are foreign, unless it's an undercover operation.

FadedGlory > FadedGlory 12/30/2013 at 12:23

0

I would also discourage running from Oklahoma County Sheriffs.

Back in the 90's, this alleged 160mph Camaro was a force to be reckoned with.

CRX-Wing > MassachusettsMuscle 12/30/2013 at 12:23

1

I live in ROC too. You beat me to this post. May favorite though is the RPB Dodge Durango that has a fair amount of rust on it. It's like a rolling metaphor for our "fair" city.

fallenshell > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:24

2

In the Northern VA area see a lot of chargers, old taurus, new taurus and in Fairfax County some Fusions fill out the rank and file. They actually look good in the new livery. Although I have seen a few Mustangs (no idea how or why they would need that), explorers, suburbans and f-150s.

I did not look super hard but could not find an images of the "new" cars just the old taurus\chargers. At least in the county colors the state troopers look good though.

KnowsAboutCars > catram 12/30/2013 at 12:24

2

Poliisi is Finnish and polis is Swedish. Finland is bilingual country so it's required to have the word police in both languages on the cars.

Room13 > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:24

1

Damn, I'm sorry. In Washingtons Capital there isn't much to look out for. Just the basics really. WSP has the new Caprice, marked and not, the Charger, mostly unmarked, old Vics, and Tahoes. Oly PD has the old Vics, and the new Ford Interceptors, Taurus and Explorer.

I saw a Volvo S60 cruiser near Mt Rainier years ago. Outside of Impalas, an unmarked Magnum, and the odd Malibu I can't think of any others.

Forgetnomore > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:24

2

Sweden has a pretty diverse mix. Mostly Volvo V70, XC70, Saab 9-5, VW Passat, VW Transporter but Mercedes is moving in with the Viano and E350 CDI (there's an unmarked brown one in my city, yummy). Swedish Security Service use BMWs for the most part along with the National Task Force who mostly roll in older Fords, BMW and Transporters.

Putting that ladder to good use!

But nothing beats the 70's and German Engineering...

mcseanerson > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:25

0

Man that sucks trying to learn to memorize so many different headlight patterns in your rearview. In Ohio where I am at we basically have the old crown vics like everone and the old and new chargers and a few tahoes and one dude in a k5 blazer (that thing looks awesome.)

Where have all the lightweights gone? > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 12/30/2013 at 12:25

1

The best thing about the Caprice cop cars is that I've already seen some decommissioned. They're selling for around $22-25k

FadedGlory > FadedGlory 12/30/2013 at 12:25

0

An honorable mention to this bad boy:

I felt bad for any cop stuck driving a Dodge Intrepid. Thank God they are almost ancient history.

But most new patrol cars in Oklahoma City are Taurus-based Police Interceptors. Go Go Gadget Eco-Boost!

somberlaine > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:25

0

Fairfax County, VA have one of these but the Crown Vic is more common

. . > mcseanerson 12/30/2013 at 12:26

0

Memorising headlight pattern is one thing, what's really annoying is that even if there's an Insignia on your arse you can't usually tell if it's the 5-0 or a bored sales rep.

Textured Soy Protein > wisc47 12/30/2013 at 12:27

0

State Patrol is overwhelmingly Crown Vics and Chargers, but I see the occasional Magnum on the Beltline or on 94 heading toward Milwaukee.

I've seen a couple unmarked charcoal gray Caprices with tinted windows driving around downtown and the near west side.

NicoZura > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:27

0

My town's current breakdown (purely off the top of my head) is:

2 - Dodge Charger (older variant), 2 - Dodge Charger (current model), about 5 or 6 -Ford Crown Victorias (supplies dwindling and being parted out), 1 - Ford Expedition, 1 - Jeep Cherokee XJ, and I think we still have an unmarked '94-'97 Crown Victoria as well as well as 2 unmarked most current gen Crown Victorias.

catram > KnowsAboutCars 12/30/2013 at 12:28

0

Interesting, Thank you :)

RickeyB. > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:28

0

My city is so bad, they had to get all three option to throw the criminals off !!!

switzerr > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:28

1

Police spec Tahoes look so bad ass. We have a few around here, and I lust after them.

Crossed > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:29

0

In YYC, Alberta.

Here's there's some really sneaky cop cars.

Here's the fleet I've seen. Marked:

Crown Vic, Dodge Charger, Ford Escape, Ford Explorer.

Unmarked:

Ford 150 with a tool box mounted on back, Crown Vic, Dodge charger in blue.

The Ford 150 is a really smart trick. Every second car is a truck in my city. No jokes. With that in mind, some of them have a tool box in the flatbed to make it look like an average looking construction vehicle. You absolutely never expect these. And the Dodge Charger in blue and a modified exhaust is another one. You don't expect this.

StalePhish > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:29

0

I think my current city almost exclusively uses Crown Vics, but my hometown in southern New Hampshire had a TON of different types. Must have been a maintenance nightmare. These are all actual images of the vehicles in town but unfortunately I couldn't find all of them on Google Images.

Quite a few marked Ford Crown Vics :

Some more marked Chevy Tahoe s and Chevy Blazer s:

A few marked Harley-Davidson motorcycles. I recently saw a marked Ford Interceptor (the new Taurus).

Unmarked Chevy Impala s of various colors, unmarked black Dodge Charger s and new black Chevy Caprice s.

Ford Econoline 350 ambulance for CSI stuff:

And a Bearcat to top it off:

mcseanerson > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:30

1

Man I know what you mean. I was driving without a license one time (bad situation, would've rather not been driving) and this crown vic got behind me at night. I don't think any american doesn't know a crown vics headlight pattern. The guy is following right behind me and driving pretty aggressive and I was getting freaked out. After 3 miles he finally turns and I see in my mirror it was just a cab. I was both pissed and relieved.

ZDMW > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:31

0

Looks like they like the crown vic.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:31

0

All five departments (plus the county Sheriff) here on the island use the classic Crown Vic, but the Oak Bluffs police has a couple of Chargers and all departments have a few Explorers or F-150s because of the large number of unpaved roads here.

I like the Tisbury livery the best.

FadedGlory > switzerr 12/30/2013 at 12:32

0

I saw one parked at a gas station and asked the trooper to check it out. Hopefully it's the only time I see the inside of one. Friggin sweet though. The vertical rifle racks immediately behind the center console are quite formidable.

i am kllot duh!! > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:32

0

some of em popo in my place drive this

and this

mostly this though.

also this.

back then mostly this

TheCrudMan > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:32

0

In Berkeley/Oakland we get the occasional Prius...

Leo > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:33

0

Welcome to Brazil

Zuzax > PatBateman 12/30/2013 at 12:33

0

Up here on the NW side of Houston (almost Tomball) the Constables still have a few Crown Vics and use a lot of Tahoes. The vast majority of patrol vehicles for SO and Constables seems to still be the old FWD Impala.

Charger seems to be the standard replacement for the Crown Vics and Impalas for all of our local LEOs.

I don't see very many pickups except TxDPS troopers and those seem to be Dodge/Ram parked at weigh stations.

SLOCUSFOCUS > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:33

0

Maine State Police do have a few Mustang GT, and they seem to have replaced every Vic in their fleet with a Taurus, in the classic blue.... Or unmarked in tan, black and maroon.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:33

1

Cincinnati has one like this, but it's all white.

Suuuubaru > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 12/30/2013 at 12:34

0

There's something about a facelifted first gen Silverado in police spec that I find undeniably cool. What purpose do they serve in your town? I've never seen them before.

npaladin2000 > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:34

0

Ok I've seen them drive Tauruses, Impalas, and Chargers, as well as Explorers and Trailblazers. Not a single Caprice PPV have I spied. But oh-so-many Vics....

Rx_37 > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:35

0

Over here they drive Ford Mondeos, Skoda Octavias and VW Transporters mostly.

MountainCommand > PatBateman 12/30/2013 at 12:37

2

I dont think id mind being pulled over by a challenger... Not one bit. Heck, it would be an honor.

blerglemon > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:37

1

Looking for pictures of the Dodge Caravans the Montreal police uses, I stumbled on this:

Also they trick people with that:

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:39

3

Honorable Mentions:

Roundle79 > . . 12/30/2013 at 12:39

0

PatBateman > Zuzax 12/30/2013 at 12:40

0

The Crown Vics that haven't been sold off are stationed around, unmanned, as crime deterrents. One at the mall, another at the regional airport. I think there are only those two left. Tahoes are the most popular choice now, while PD's traffic cops are either riding on their Harleys or in the Chargers (with bare minimum markings, as in the lettering being one shade off from the car's color).

PatBateman > MountainCommand 12/30/2013 at 12:41

2

Troopers here are usually pretty courteous, so it might be the most pleasant ticket (or warning, hopefully) that you've ever gotten.