On another forum I frequent... there was a question of why there aren't more Prii used for patrol/enforcement/emergency response... Here's a few pics of some that are.
not sure why it's in FHOP unless you're expecting it to turn into a usual FHOP thread. As a pursuit car, I don't think it's a good choice but as a traffic enforcer (e.g. parking tickets) or community or campus patrol, it'd make a good choice. It also depends on the department and city. Some police officers are open to driving a Prius, others wouldn't be caught dead in one and love the power of a Crown Vic.
There is at least one running around Sacramento as a Parking Enforcement vehicle (Sac County) because I saw it just a couple of days ago.
IIRC, I've seen some 1st gen Priuses used a parking enforcement or for those directing traffic in LA. The Prius would make a very poor pursuit vehicle as it's slower in acceleration than the majority of vehicles sold and its top speed isn't real high. Also, police departments don't really like FWD vehicles from a handling and durability point of view if they have pursue and hit/jump curbs. IIRC, the FWD Chevy Impala will sustain very expensive damage and be out of commission/out of pursuit if going over a curb unlike the RWD Crown Vic. You might be interested to see MSP - Police Vehicle Evaluation and https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/specialty_vehicles/Police.asp. Notice that the 3 non-Crown Vics have a note saying "may not be used as an ambulance or as a pursuit vehicle (no excessive speed)." I just stumbled across one of my old posts on this very subject that I'd forgotten about at http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...ss-according-highway-patrol-3.html#post678367.
I've seen the parking enforcement ones in town and in Rancho Cordova... I also saw one of em is camera laden and has three boots in the back end downtown... While I agree the Prius isn't a pursuit car, and shouldn't be used as one, it does have some utility doing the other tasks of first responders I would think... Is there one in use by the Fire Dept somewhereop2:...
Hi Tideland, I don't see any problems that an officer wouldn't experience in any other car. Somebody is always going to have a car that can out run most police vehicles; they can't out run the radio. I liked the power of the Crown Vic; but I wouldn't drive them, if I could avoid them, because by the end of the shift, the seats caused me more back pain then their power was worth. You should have seen the look on the face of the Corvette driver I pulled over for speeding on I-5, while driving a Department Datsun B210 . . . The Datsun was primarily an undercover/surveillance vehicle, not a patrol car; but when the Vette flew past me, it just seemed like too much fun to pass-up. --TK
I agree with that, in principle, but in reality, there are people out there who could give one s*** about the safety of anybody else. Like here in the car theft capital of Canada Mike on Crime Its rare for cops in Canada to shoot those involved in stolen vehicle pursuits. Police cars in Canada don't have ramming bumpers, because criminals have rights in this country But to the topic, the Prius would be ideal for parking enforcement or any other duty that required heavy city driving
And today, when local police departments are quazi-military organizations with helicopter gunships, infra-red capabilities, and even tanks (or at least Armored Personnel Carriers) they can track someone on the run with overhead surveillance and set up a road block. That beats 100 MPH chases on crowded streets.
lol good times. Hmm.. but the seat has to be large enough for an officer with all the equipment on the belt to be able to sit comfortably, right? i don't think the Prius seats are wide enough cause the car's quite narrow. Unless you have some officers that don't carry the full range of equipment.
I often think of police departments as ground zero for "buy American" sentiment. I think this plays into the avoidance of Patrol-Prii. But, surely we know that foreign brands are now produced in the US ............ and US brands are filled with foreign components.
Glad someone hit on the buy American thing. Did anyone else notice that the last 2 cars in the OP are Australian? The white one has Australian Capital Territory plates and the black one has New South Wales plates.
The Dodge Charger Hemi is now quite popular with police departments, especially in a Highway Patrol capacity: it's acceleration, braking, and handling easily trounce the ancient Crown Vic The Dodge Charger is made in Ontario, Canada. So is the Ford Crown Vic (St Thomas, Ontario) So much for "buy American"
Uh, Canada is "American" - North America - it's just not the UNITED STATES of America. Cars built in Mexico are also American, by that definition. I like to have fun with "buy American" types over this. A few years ago Motor Trend did an interesting article that said Ford carefully planned both the percent content and the assembly location of their "gas guzzler" cars to make sure they qualified as imports. This threw their EPA numbers into the import category, where they were offset by the higher numbers of smaller cars so they didn't exceed CAFE for their import section (CAFE was figured separately for import and domestic).
It's funny when you bring that fact up to folks who are unaware of it A few months ago, a guy driving a Chrysler 300C with Texas plates was fueling up at the same time I was topping off my FJ. He had the usual stickers on the window: buy American, support our troops, etc. He looked at my FJ, scoffed, and muttered "nip crap" I walked over, ready for a confrontation, and said "what did you say?" The guy backed down a bit, however he wanted to prove a point "At least I support American jobs" "Actually, you support Canadian jobs. That thing you're driving is made in Brampton, Ontario" He responded with disbelief, so I told him to open his driver door and carefully check the vehicle tag. He did so, the color drained from his face, and he very promptly STFU I had a very wide grin on my face as I drove away. I made sure to toot my horn in a cheerful fashion
