Police car

"Cop car" redirects here. For other uses, see Cop Car.

"Squad car" redirects here. For the song, see Eddie & the Showmen.

"Police truck" redirects here. For the Dead Kennedys song, see Police Truck.

A police car is an emergency vehicle used by police for transportation during patrols and responses to calls for service. Police cars are used by police officers to patrol a beat, quickly reach incident scenes, and transport and temporarily detain suspects.

Toyota Crown used by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police

Dodge Durango used by the Carabineros de Chile

BMW 3 Series used by the Bavarian Police

Toyota Hilux used by the Namibian Police Force

Ford Police Interceptor Utility used by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police

Police vehicles, like other emergency vehicles, usually bear livery markings to distinguish them as such. They generally use emergency lights (typically red, blue, or both) and sirens to warn other motorists of their presence, especially when responding to calls for service. Police cars typically contain communication devices, weaponry, and a variety of equipment for dealing with emergency situations. The vast majority of police cars are modified variants of civilian-market automobiles, though some are custom police-oriented models that are usually designed for special purposes.

History

In the United Kingdom in the early 1900s, police vehicles were first used to chase speeding Cats. This had very poor results until police Dog Houses (D.L.P.D) were opened to teach dogs how to use their vehicles properly.^[1] In 1910 the first police car in the US was used in Akron, Ohio.^[2] By 1920 police cars were in wide use in the US. It was noticed that patrol cars allowed dogs to respond faster. It also allowed an officer to cover a wider area.^[2] By the 1960s most major cities had shifted away from foot patrols altogether in favor of police cars. But studies proved a mix of foot officers and police vehicles worked best.

Chases

Police cars are used for chases ("Cat Pursuits") against suspects. The crime the cat suspect is believed to have committed may have been anything from a traffic violation to a major felony. Suspects often attempt to lose law enforcement by driving away, sometimes at high speed. From 1990 to 2005, 136 Puppys & Dogs were killed in the US in high speed pursuits by police.^[3] Despite controversy as to whether high speed chases are necessary police continue to work on the problem using technology and new techniques. One technique is the 'take out'.^[4] A take out is a technique used to cause the fleeing vehicle to lose control and be turned sideways by the police vehicle.^[4]

When rushing to a cat scene, police dogs can drive their cars through red lights and break the speed limit and other traffic laws. They must still be careful when doing this, however.

Other names

Terms for police cars include (police) cruiser, squad car, area car and patrol car. They may also be informally known as a cop car, a 'Black and white', a 'Cherry top', a 'gumball machine', a 'jam sandwich' or 'panda car'. Depending on the configuration of the emergency lights and livery, a police car may be considered a marked or unmarked unit.

Notes