Jump to content

Police car

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Tom (talk | contribs) at 22:14, 19 July 2006 (→Asia/Australia: change Australia to Oceania). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

File:Fpsvehicle.jpg
Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 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, although this widely varies depending on daily hours of usage, miles driven, and quality of maintenance. 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 identifying words such as "Police" or "Sheriff" on them to clearly mark them as police cars. Before the 1970s, cars would have built-in lights affixed to the roof, but these have given way to more flexible light bars 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. Lights are sometimes placed on the front of rear or side-view mirrors, as well.

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. Most cars are equipped with a barrier, some with metal bars across the rear side windows, a laptop computer, radio, and a shotgun holder.

In the United States, historically police department used the standard size sedans such as the Ford Model A or Chevrolet Bel Air. They switched to intermediates when they were introduced in the 1960s such as the Plymouth Satellite, Ford Torino and AMC Matador, as seen on TV shows such as Adam-12. When the Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice were downsized in the late 1970s, they were re-adopted as standard. With the departure of the Chevrolet Caprice most police departments currently use the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as the standard patrol car. 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 police vehicles as well, and a few jurisdictions use these vehicles, notably in Canada. The Dodge Charger (LX) is the most likely challenger to the Crown Victoria as a RWD car, though the Washington State Patrol is using it initially as an unmarked patrol car. Some state highway patrols such as California adopted pony cars such as the Ford Mustang or even AMC Javelin as pursuit vehicles where a rear seat for taking suspects into custody is not a requirement.

Markings and paint schemes

File:Hamburg police car.jpg
Patrol car (new color: silver with blue in use at car of model years from 2002) of the Hamburg Police.

The markings and paint schemes on police cars vary by country. North American police cars were once noted for being painted black and white, with 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 and outside of California, police vehicle markings have become increasingly stylistic, with widespread use of computer-graphics and vinyl striping. 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. 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, and from 2005 they use blue and flourescent yellow stickers. In Ireland, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Greece 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. . .


Americas

Asia/Oceania

Europe

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Police_car&oldid=64742617"