Police car
Encyclopedia : P : PO : POL : Police car
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. 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. 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.
In the United States, most police departments currently use the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as the standard patrol car. Other manufacturers (primarily General Motors and DaimlerChrysler) 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 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[link]:- 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
Americas
Asia/Australia
Europe
See also
- Current models of police cars used in the US
- Emergency vehicle
- Armoured personnel carrier
- Mounted police
- Paddywagon
- Police bike
- Police blimp
- Police helicopter
- Panda car
- SWAT van
- Jam sandwich (slang)
- Police plane
- Police ambulance
- Fire chief's vehicle
- Police Emergency Wagon
- Military police vehicle
- Police motorcycle
- D.A.R.E. Car
- Ford Crown Victoria
- Chevy Impala
- Carbon Motors
External links
- [Police Car Web Site]
- [Police Car Pics]
- [The American Police Car]
- [Collection of police vehicles]
- [CopCar.com]
- *Car makers police car showrooms:
- [Carbon Motors]
- *[Ford] (site will only load under HTTPS, but no sensitive information is required to view)
- *[General Motors]
- *[Volvo]
- [Police vehicles from Canada]
- [Police vehicles from Australia]
- [PoliceWorldwide] Has 2500+ images of police cars from all across the world.
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