Police/Emergency auto news

Uncle Sam's shopping list for government fleets

Edmunds has taken a closer look at which vehicles are most heavily favored by the federal government by evaluating percentage of model sales in 2011. Not surprisingly the Chevrolet Caprice topped off the list with a whopping 79.2 percent of sales going to government agencies, while the out-to-pasture Ford Crown Victoria took second with 57.2 percent of total sales. But that's pretty much where the predictability comes to a close. The Chevrolet Express van takes a distant third with 10.7 percent. Like the Ram Dakota, which came in fifth at 9.2 percent, we imagine that has more to do with the number of civilian models sold each year rather than any great number of government service vehicles on the road.

Other notable models include the Ford E-Series in seventh place, the Ford Expedition in eighth and the Dodge Grand Caravan in ninth. Even the old Chevrolet Impala made the cut with 5.3 percent of its sales heading off to government duty. That's good enough to nab the machine 10th place. Head over to Edmunds to have a look at the full list.

Official: Volkswagen presents new Sharanbulance at RETTmobil emergency vehicles expo

What you see here is an ambulance. It's based on the Sharan, a van Volkswagen offers in certain overseas markets. We shall therefore call it the Sharanbulance.

The Sharanbulance was recently unveiled at the 2012 RETTmobil emergency vehicles show in Fulda, Germany, by Volkswagen Rettungsfahrzeuge, the company's rescue vehicles division.

The latest vehicle in the company's emergency lineup, the Sharanbulance (which VW incidentally refers to as the Sharan NEF) packs LED emergency lighting all around and loudspeaker/siren system that can still be operated once the vehicle's been shut off. It's held up by a heavy-duty suspension and motivated by a 2.0-liter TDI driving 170 horsepower to all four wheels through a six-speed DSG and 4Motion all-wheel-drive.

Head down to the Nürburgring for a lapping session without enough training and you just might get rescued from the tangled armco and medevac'd in a Sharanbulance, or in the Touareg, Touran or Passat Variant emergency vehicles also offered by Volkswagen Rettungsfahrzeuge.

Report: City of Detroit paying $608 per month to lease 2004 Dodge Intrepid [w/video]

What can you even say to defend a financial decision like this one? According to a report by Detroit's WXYZ television news team, the City of Detroit has been leasing a 2004 Dodge Intrepid since September 2003, over six years after the original two-year-lease expired. Since the City did not return the car, it has continued to make the $608 per month lease payments, even as it racked up miles well beyond the 40,000 in the original agreement, for which it now must pay 15 cents per mile. According to the report, the City has spent over $65,000 for the car, which it doesn't even own.

But that's not all. WXYZ says that Detroit has 110 of these expired lease agreements on 2004 through 2007 models, and all of the cars are still on the road, wasting money with every tick of the odometer. And remember, the City still has to turn in all 110 cars, and pay for excess wear and tear. An estimate of the city's losses incurred by this leasing scheme is well over $4 million, according to the report. The cars are all being used by the Detroit Police Department, and though they're not quite full-zoot police cruisers like the 2002 Intrepid pictured above, they see action for undercover work. That means it's not just the taxpayers who are getting a bad deal here, but the cops themselves, as we're pretty sure none of them are particularly happy to be out risking their lives in an eight-year-old Dodge.

If we can attempt to find the faintest silver lining to this epic thunderstorm of mismanagement, it would be that perhaps in the publicity sure to follow, a few of Detroit's residents might better understand why and how leasing can cost more than financing a new car purchase. And at least the City of Detroit has been using these cars, rather than leaving them in a parking structure to sit and rot. Scroll down for a video report from WXYZ.

Continue reading City of Detroit paying $608 per month to lease 2004 Dodge Intrepid [w/video]

Report: Was that viral photo of a motorcycle cop crash-landing into convertible a scam?

The LA Weekly reports there may have been more to the viral news story of a motorcycle police officer who ended up with his legs in the air in the back seat of a BMW convertible after a traffic collision. Following an 18-month investigation, prosecutors have officially dropped the three misdemeanor assault charges against driver Brian Hitchcock after the man's lawyers discovered Hermosa, California officer Anthony Parente had a history of questionable accidents and hefty workers' compensation claims.

Hitchcock was charged with assault, reckless driving and a third misdemeanor after Parente accused the man of speeding in the parking lane, swerving in front of the officer and then jamming on his brakes once Parente hit his lights and sirens. The bike then struck the BMW, catapulting Parente into the rear seats of the vehicle. The two had been next to each other at a stop light moments earlier.

But Hitchcock reportedly maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, saying he accelerated normally and never cut the motorcycle off. Eye witnesses corroborated his version of the story, and Hitchcock's lawyers found Parente had filed for workmans' compensation six times in recent years, three of which were in his four years with the Inglewood School Police Department where he served before joining the Hermosa Beach Police Department in 2005.

Furthermore, Hitchcock's lawyers discovered Parente had allegedly pulled a similar stunt with a cop car after ramming one Peter Brown. Brown's insurance paid Parente's claim. Hithcock's did not, with the man vowing to fight the charges tooth-and-nail in court. Parente, meanwhile, is currently on medical leave with workman's compensation for soft tissue damage some 20 months after the accident.

Official: Dodge introduces Durango Special Service model for police and fire

The Dodge Charger has already done a fine job ingratiating itself with our nation's police forces, and with Ford's Crown Victoria finally off the beat, Chrysler is understandably keen to gain a bigger share of the law enforcement pie. Enter the 2012 Durango Special Service.

Available in both rear- and all-wheel drive and Pentastar V6 or Hemi V8 flavors, this Durango variant has been uprated for the sort of duty cycles common among police and fire crews. Available modifications include a heavy-duty brake setup, larger battery, 220-amp alternator, as well as an engine cooler and upsized water pump. Properly equipped, Chrysler says the Durango SS can tow a class-leading 7,400 pounds, and it offers a bladder-perforating 550-mile range.

Dodge has improved interior lighting to make sure that officers don't have to squint while writing you that speeding ticket, and they've also gone to the trouble of brooming the third row of seats for increased capacity (K9 duty, anyone?). Thoughtfully, they've left the second-row HVAC controls so that perps can be stored at proper temperatures.

Want to know more? Check out our high-res image gallery and then shuffle past the jump to see the official press release.

Continue reading Dodge introduces Durango Special Service model for police and fire

Official: Ford Police Interceptor line gets official EPA fuel economy ratings

Police forces didn't care much about fuel economy back in the early days of the Ford Crown Victoria, but these days, efficiency is front and center for cash-strapped municipalities. The cost of fuel keeps rising and cities continue to cut their budgets, so one or two miles per gallon might make the difference for a city deciding between a fleet of Ford's new Taurus-based Interceptor, the Chevrolet Caprice PPV and Dodge Charger Pursuit.

And so it is with great interest we read the news today that Ford has released official EPA-certified fuel economy figures for the new Interceptor. The base model equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 is rated at 18 miles per gallon city / 26 highway, while the twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 is rated at 16 mpg city / 23 highway. Finally, the Interceptor Utility (read: cop-spec Ford Explorer) powered by a 3.7-liter V6 returns 16 mpg city / 22 highway.

We scoured through official specs and data from Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge to produce the comparison table above. As you can see, the new Police Interceptor from Ford is not the precinct captain of fuel economy, not even when comparing the V6 EcoBoost model against its V8-powered competitors. The acceleration numbers, meanwhile, were all taken from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Annual Law Enforcement Vehicle Test and Evaluation Program for 2012 models. Based on their results and the official EPA numbers that we found, the Chevrolet Caprice PPV V6 looks like the best combination of both quickness and thriftness. One thing, though, is for certain: No matter which model they choose, police forces everywhere should be saving lots of fuel compared to the aged Crown Vics in their fleets now. Learn more in Ford's official press release after the jump.

Continue reading Ford Police Interceptor line gets official EPA fuel economy ratings

Official: DOE rejects $310M loan for Carbon Motors to build advanced police cars

Carbon Motors, maker of the purpose-built E7 police car, won't receive the $310 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) loans under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program that it applied for almost three years ago, and said that it's a victim of politics.

"We are outraged by the actions of the DOE and it is clear that this was a political decision in a highly-charged, election year environment," Carbon Motors William Santana Li said in a statement. The company added that it was "actively examining its strategic and financing alternatives."

Carbon Motors says its vehicles will save government entities money because they get better fuel economy and they're purpose-built, meaning that factory vehicles don't need to be retrofitted. Carbon Motors has said its diesel-powered cars may cut law-enforcement fuel use and greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as 40 percent, and that building such cars may create as many as 10,000 jobs. The car was to feature a BMW 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine.

The company says it's received about $200 million worth of financial commitments from private and public sources and has taken orders from more than 500 law-enforcement agencies for more than 20,000 cars.

Last December, the company sent an open letter urging the Obama Administration to push the DOE to approve the loan.

The federal loan process has vexed other automotive companies. Bright Automotive, which was to make extended-range plug-in utility vehicles, publicly pleaded with the government to process its application for a $400 million loan in January. Last month, that company went out of business.

Meanwhile, Fisker Automotive, maker of the extended-range plug-in sports sedan Karma, has been fielding questions about its future after the company in early February laid off workers and halted production. Fisker has received less than $200 million of the $529 million loan it was slated to get from the DOE.

Continue reading DOE rejects $310M loan for Carbon Motors to build advanced police cars

Report: Ford Taurus and Explorer Police Interceptor production begins

Ford has begun producing the company's two new Police Interceptor models. According to Ward's Auto, both the Taurus and Explorer-based cruisers are rolling off of the line at the automaker's Chicago Assembly Plant. All told, the sedan variant has accounted for around 60 percent of orders so far. Currently, the law enforcement market is Ford's to lose: Dearborn has controlled up to 70 percent of police car sales in the U.S. with its now defunct Crown Victoria in the past, but General Motors has made it clear it wants a larger slice of that pie.

GM has given law enforcement agencies an alternative to the two Interceptors from Ford with its Caprice PPV and Tahoe law enforcement SUV. Even so, Ford remains confident it will stay on top of the police market. The company says that early orders indicate it will remain the segment leader.

With a turbocharged, direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 engine in place of the old 4.6-liter V8 found in the Crown Victoria, Ford also says its new Interceptor models should be capable of returning 20 percent better fuel economy - an attribute that should salve relationships somewhat with fleet orderers who were fond of the anvil-like reliability and simplicity of the old Crown Vic.

Official: Nearly 10,000 Dodge Charger police cars recalled

With the era of Ford's dominant Crown Victoria finally drawing to a close, automakers are working harder than ever to court law enforcement with more modern police cruisers. Key among their tactics? Facilitate easier fleet ordering by making common police equipment upgrades available from the car companies themselves instead of forcing precincts to seek out aftermarket specialists. Instead of sending their new cruisers off to third party vendors, those in charge of ordering new police cars can get them fitted with items like heavy-duty secondary batteries, special lighting, trunk coolers, laptop docking consoles and so on - all from the factory.

An unintended consequence of this shift in strategy is that the police cruisers are now more complex than ever, particularly in the area of wiring. Just ask Chrysler, which is now facing the recall of nearly 10,000 Dodge Charger police cruisers from 2011 and 2012 model years.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Chrysler will recall 9,688 cop specials because some vehicles could incur an overheated lighting harness connector that could cause the cruiser's low beams to fail. In addition, some Chargers may also suffer from an overheated power distribution center that could result in a loss of the vehicle's anti-lock braking and stability control systems. Just as they would with a car sold to the general public, Chrysler will notify owners covered in the recall and inspect and replace the affected parts free of charge.

Click through to the jump to read over NHTSA's official recall notice... and be safe out there.

Continue reading Nearly 10,000 Dodge Charger police cars recalled

Report: Why haven't you seen many new Chevy Caprice police cars? GM delays.

The sun has long since set on the Ford Crown Victoria and the big sedan's Police Interceptor variants, but many parts of the country still haven't seen the next-generation of pursuit vehicles take to the street. In the case of the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle, that's because General Motors has hit a delay in providing the Holden-based sedans. According to the DuPont Registry, the delay is two-fold. Shipping from Australia is taking longer than expected, and Chevrolet dealers aren't outfitting the vehicles quickly enough to satiate demand.

The report quotes Deputy Chief Jeff Undestad of the Largo Police Department in Largo, Florida as saying his office waited more than eight months for GM to deliver their Caprice Patrol Vehicles to the dealer. Undestad should consider himself lucky. A neighboring department waited 10 months for its new patrol cars. Chrysler, meanwhile, usually takes two to three months to deliver its police-duty Dodge Charger models.

GM, meanwhile, says that the company is working to address the shipping issues. The company now has a pool of Caprice Patrol Vehicles at port, which should help trim the wait time.