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Police car
Car Show
Police car
Police Emergency Wagon
Ford Crown Victoria police car of the United States Federal Protective Service. Most North American police forces
use the Crown Victoria.A police car, police cruiser, squad
car, radio car or patrol car is a vehicle used by
police forces around the world to patrol, temporarily detain and transport
individual criminal suspects. Use of the police car has largely replaced the
tradition of officers or constables
"walking a beat" in most jurisdictions. A police car is also sometimes called a
cop car or cherry top.
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.
Characteristics
Police cars are usually normal cars which are upgraded with a police
package provided by the manufacturer. The police package often modifies 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, 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, and other heavier-duty components.
These components not only increase performance but also increase the car's
longevity, usually lasting from 7 to 12 years. It is for this reason that many
taxis and fire chiefs' vehicles are based very closely on police cars.
With the advent of
highways and motorways, special patrols have been established to monitor traffic offenses as well as
engage suspects in flight. The latter 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.
Police cars may either be marked or unmarked, to catch suspects unaware.
Marked cars have reflective decals and the word "police" on them to clearly mark
them as police cars. Most, but not all, marked vehicles have a light bar on top
with red and/or blue light beacons and sirens. 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
the either the windshield or grill and back window.
On film and television, police cars are almost always 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.
In the United States, most police departments currently use the Ford
Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as the standard patrol car. Other
manufacturers provide police cars as well, and a few jurisdictions use these
vehicles.
Markings and paint schemes
The markings and paint schemes on police cars vary by country.
North American police cars have a reputation for being painted black and white;
usually the car doors and roof are painted white, while the trunk, hood, front
fenders and rear quarter panels are painted black. However, in the United
States, the paint scheme for each fleet is determined by each agency.
Cars may range from being all white to completely black. Blues and greens are
also frequently used.
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 and Greece. Germany
and Sweden use a similar paint scheme configuration, although Germany uses
bright green instead of black, and Sweden have changed from black paint to light
blue stickers. In Ireland, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and a
few other countries in Europe, police
cars 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.
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 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.
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. . .
Gallery
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Halton Regional Police Crown Victoria
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Jeep Cherokee Irish Traffic Patrol Car
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Ford Mondeo Estate Irish Patrol Car
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A Hong Kong Police vehicle.
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A typical Tahoe PPV used in the United States.
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A London
Metropolitan Police car.
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Ford Falcon used by Victoria Police for traffic duties.
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Patrol car (old color: white with green, in use at cars up to
model year 2004) of the
Saarland Police.
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Road accident investigation vehicle of the
Schleswig Holstein Police.
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Patrol car (new color: silver with blue in use at car of model
years from 2002) of the
Hamburg Police.
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Finnish police van (here with the text in Swedish).
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A
Ford Focus police car of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary,
England.
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Anti-riot armoured vehicle of the police of the Canton of Vaud
in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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An
Italian Police Lamborghini.
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See also
External links
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Car Show, made by MultiMedia | Free content and software
This guide is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
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