Patrol vehicles, what do you get to drive?

[EMTGuard]

I drive a segway.

Thanks.
Anyone else?
Feel free to post photos of your "ride". I have.

[mjw064]

could we get back on topic?

I drive a segway.

[Mr. Chaple]

1. Give your profits to Shell and Chevron.

2. Give up dragging your asses around town in heavy iron like you don't know how to use a calculator.

3. Find another job when there isn't anything else to cut but personnel.

What's sad about all this is that there's an absolute ton of marvelous alternatives, and I imagine that once the cops are driving them (so they have a "cop image"), you CV-Charger-Impala-Hummer-halftrack boys will start to like them a lot better too. Sometimes I think I could sell some of you a Soviet T-90 if I could lay my hands on one.

If you ever have a T-90 that you need to get rid of, drop me a line.

[EMTGuard]

could we get back on topic?

[davis002]

You ain't paying too much very good attention with all that "real winter" talk, dewd. Colorado PDs are among the edge-leaders in trying hybrids, for instance. I've already posted about one, but there are others. I reckon they gots "real winters" in Colorado, leastwise they did when I lived there. What do you think? They get "real winter" in Aspen, or some kind of fake winter? Aspen PD Trying Hybrids.

...and you want to talk about Sweden? Switzerland? Germany? Alaska's got no corner on winter.

I have to admit, it's funny. I opined a long time ago that security companies have NO need for police type patrol vehicles and could not justify them on the basis of operating cost OR cost to own. People reacted like I was trying to take away their gicky blankie or something...why, because they're so desperate to look like cops, maybe? I was talking back then about $4 gas, and guess what. I'm sure we'll find out in the next year or so that I badly undershot the mark. So here are your choices as a private security company:

1. Give your profits to Shell and Chevron.

2. Give up dragging your asses around town in heavy iron like you don't know how to use a calculator.

3. Find another job when there isn't anything else to cut but personnel.

The market is already dictating the future: Drivers Desperate to Sell Their Gas Guzzlers.

What's sad about all this is that there's an absolute ton of marvelous alternatives, and I imagine that once the cops are driving them (so they have a "cop image"), you CV-Charger-Impala-Hummer-halftrack boys will start to like them a lot better too. Sometimes I think I could sell some of you a Soviet T-90 if I could lay my hands on one.

I love the idea of hybrids, but I don't see any in the current market that can replace all of the duties of our "gas guzzlers". Is there a pursuit-rated hybrid that can haul all the tools of the trade and transport prisoners?

I certainly hope that one day we will see one (and very soon), but in the meantime the Prius is not going to hack it.

[Security]

I love Michigan State police their car look vintage with the big red gumball light on the roof and the decal on the door . I always think that a police car or a security car dont need to have a lot of decal and stripe to be beautiful only the essantial . Less is beautiful

I totally agree with you that less is beautiful. Heck, I even prefer the look of unmarked police cars. There is just something that I love about interior warning lights over roof lights...

Although, I have to be honest, I think that "big red gumball light" that the Michigan State Police use on their vehicles is friggin' UGLY - lol.

[SecTrainer]

Umm, 250/300 miles a tank including idling nonstop in -40 weather

I don't see many hybrids functioning well in the "real" winter. In fact, they test them up here, and some of the guys have had to do public assists while on patrol when these guys got stranded while testing in the middle of nowhere with no arctic gear in a snowstorm...

For the size of the vehicle, the Chevys and GMC's we drive are the most economical anyway. 18/20 mpg according to my hand calculated from my POV, since they're large enough that they don't require EPA stats.

You ain't paying too much very good attention with all that "real winter" talk, dewd. Colorado PDs are among the edge-leaders in trying hybrids, for instance. I've already posted about one, but there are others. I reckon they gots "real winters" in Colorado, leastwise they did when I lived there. What do you think? They get "real winter" in Aspen, or some kind of fake winter? Aspen PD Trying Hybrids.

...and you want to talk about Sweden? Switzerland? Germany? Alaska's got no corner on winter.

I have to admit, it's funny. I opined a long time ago that security companies have NO need for police type patrol vehicles and could not justify them on the basis of operating cost OR cost to own. People reacted like I was trying to take away their gicky blankie or something...why, because they're so desperate to look like cops, maybe? I was talking back then about $4 gas, and guess what. I'm sure we'll find out in the next year or so that I badly undershot the mark. So here are your choices as a private security company:

1. Give your profits to Shell and Chevron.

2. Give up dragging your asses around town in heavy iron like you don't know how to use a calculator.

3. Find another job when there isn't anything else to cut but personnel.

The market is already dictating the future: Drivers Desperate to Sell Their Gas Guzzlers.

What's sad about all this is that there's an absolute ton of marvelous alternatives, and I imagine that once the cops are driving them (so they have a "cop image"), you CV-Charger-Impala-Hummer-halftrack boys will start to like them a lot better too. Sometimes I think I could sell some of you a Soviet T-90 if I could lay my hands on one.

[The Hussard]

I like those! When I was a kid in Minneapolis, they had black and whites. They switched to white squads around 1975, I think.
Interesting how trends come and go. I miss the old fashioned light bars and the Visibars with the dual domes with 4 rotating sealed beams. The leds are okay, but you could really see the cops coming with the old sealed beams flashing off the buildings 2 blocks ahead of the squad.

I love Michigan State police their car look vintage with the big red gumball light on the roof and the decal on the door . I always think that a police car or a security car dont need to have a lot of decal and stripe to be beautiful only the essantial . Less is beautiful

[Echos13]

Lots of agencies are going Black and White. I remember an article in 2005-2006 about a local WI agency doing it, because "the security companies have all these fancy graphics and its harder to tell who the police are."

This amused me greatly, because the tone of the quote was that all guard firms should have spraypainted "SECURITY GUARD" in contrasting color 8" high or something.

Thing is, how are these cars going to last with black hoods? A friend of mine says is fleet almost blew up when he did black/whites on Impalas from the heat.

Some of the Florida agencies are going B&W. How ever in Polk County the Sheriff is absorbing the majority of the police departments here. They are going from B&W to G&W. Fort Meade had just got new cars in B&W in late '07, six months later they become part of the PCSO. The black hoods do make them run hotter! Not to mention the AC seems to work very little. That's why I think I have seen a lot of the state and city agency cars with dark hoods parked under trees a lot.

[Badge714]

The new Minneapolis Police design...

I like those! When I was a kid in Minneapolis, they had black and whites. They switched to white squads around 1975, I think.
Interesting how trends come and go. I miss the old fashioned light bars and the Visibars with the dual domes with 4 rotating sealed beams. The leds are okay, but you could really see the cops coming with the old sealed beams flashing off the buildings 2 blocks ahead of the squad.

[bpdblue]

I get the honor of getting an older 2 door toyota rav-4.

The sick part is I actually like the little thing.

[EMTGuard]

Here's what we drive at the hospital where I work full time.

1993 Isuzu pickup with 5 speed manual tranny and no power steering.

[davis002]

The new Minneapolis Police design...

[Deputy Dawg]

I love the number 4 option

yeah, same here. sounds like a james bond car haha. wonder where the missles are?

[The Hussard]

I love the number 4 option