On “Starsky & Hutch”, they sometimes used Starsky’s 1974 Ford Gran Torino (a.k.a.: “The Striped Tomato”), sometimes they used Hutch’s raggedy brown beater. On “Nash Bridges”, Bridges used his brother’s (who was supposed to be in Vietnam) yellow 1971 Plymouth Barracuda. Since these cars were supposed to belong to these specific officers of the law, I was wondering could a real police officer/detective use their own personal vehicle as a police car or was this just a way for the writers and producers to work a fancy-looking car into the show?
For anyone that doesn’t want to look at Comic Sans…
On “Starsky & Hutch”, they sometimes used Starsky’s 1974 Ford Gran Torino (a.k.a.: “The Striped Tomato”), sometimes they used Hutch’s raggedy brown beater. On “Nash Bridges”, Bridges used his brother’s (who was supposed to be in Vietnam) yellow 1971 Plymouth Barracuda. Since these cars were supposed to belong to these specific officers of the law, I was wondering could a real police officer/detective use their own personal vehicle as a police car or was this just a way for the writers and producers to work a fancy-looking car into the show?
In Florida, at least, only government-owned vehicles can display blue lights. So, regardless of department policy, if they want to have a blue flashing light for their wicked car chases, they’ll have to leave their personal car at the station.
I don’t think any cop anywhere in the US uses his/her personal car. More likely, the detective would be issued a “civilian” looking car if needed.
They’d be very foolish to do so, because of the personal liability that they would chancing.
If an officer is driving a police car and gets in a crash, harming someone, it’s the police department that’s on the hook; their car did the damage, so they’re potentially liable.
If a police officer drives their own car on duty and gets on a crash, hurting someone, they’re the owner of the car and can be sued civile for damages. If their car insurance doesn’t cover all the damages, the injured party can come after the police officer’s personal property, like their home, their savings, etc.
I don’t know of any places that allow you to use your personal car for everyday police work. I have heard directly from some officers in other states that they are allowed to put light packages on their cars for when they do outside extra duty work as police officers. That would be unheard of in my state but we are provided with official cars for those kinds of traffic jobs. In some jurisdictions they are not.
While doing those kinds of jobs it may be necessary to act as a police officer beyond just directing traffic.
Down south, many police depts (states?) use blue lights only. Up north, PD uses blue & red or sometimes red only (glances sideways at NJ). Blue lights are for volunteer firefighters &/or EMS personnel to get to the station/scene. They are courtesy lights only; you many not run a stop sign or red light with one, even after coming to a stop & ensuring it’s safe to proceed (for the red light, obviously not for the stop sign). However, I’ve seen that happen because vehicles with the green are stopping for the blue light vehicle & it’s going to create more traffic mess by sitting there. Other vehicles do not legally need to pull over for a vehicle with blue lights & let them pass. As my friend says, “He’s going to fight a fire & go into a burning building. I don’t want to do that; I’ll be more than happy to get the 'ell out of his way.”
Many police depts up north put out info/PSAs about if someone attempts a blue light traffic stop on you, do not pull over, & call 911.
Detectives & ‘brass’ will use a standard, undercover PD car, one without any exterior lights or logos other than the extra antennas for radio & data comms. Undercover cops might use anything, especially civil forfeiture cars, but these one-offs are now owned by the PD.
Here in Ohio red flashers are for any emergency vehicle like fire trucks or ambulances. Only police can use blue at all. They do combine it with red also. Yellow is for work vehicles that might block traffic like a construction crew.
Dennis
In Hawaii, the majority of police vehicles are unmarked personal cars/SUVs. Been this way since at least the '60’s as it’s cheaper to subsidize personal vehicles than maintain a fleet of marked cars. Up until about the last decade, all unmarked police cars were certain fullsize makes and models, Ford Crown VIctoria, Chevy Monte Carlo, Buick Regal, Chrysler 300 and a few more.
Other signs were beefier sounding engines, riding higher because of heavier suspensions and up until the 80’s, they had a permanently attached connector for the light (now replaced with a removable light bar) and a pigtail antenna for their radio (this was well before carphones become common). Now, it’s much harder tell tell as midsize cars and SUVs are in use. I actually like it because you never know who you might be flipping off! :smack:
Edit: In the 80’s, they turned a few Trans Am’s (I think a couple were from drug seizures) into high performance interceptor vehicles. Not really necessary as the worst that could happen would be a around the island chase. Just send a couple of cars the other way around the island and you’ve got them! 
Growing up I had a few uncles who served as the sheriffs in very small rural towns. They were the sole members of the police force in their respective towns and were not given cars to use by the town. Maine has a list of public positions who are allowed to operate vehicles with flashing lights, otherwise the flashing lights are prohibited by law. My uncles had the magnet style rotating flashers they’d put on the roof as they were heading somewhere or pulling someone over.
I don’t know if any rural towns still do similar. I’d expect any town large enough to have a police force would have cars for them and not allow personal vehicles.
As a firefighter we can use any car if needed for the emergency - including cop cars. It is called commandeering the car. In practice it would be used to move a car out of the way of the emergency operations or remove a vehicle from the path of the fire. It is part of our job and also covered by our insurance. One time I almost got to move a cop car, but since this is embarrassing to the officer, he came a-running when he heard we are taking his car over the radio. Also when we do something like this we make it very clear to 911 dispatch that we are commandeering it by announcing it over the radio which there is a recording of.
I believe cops can do the same.
When it comes to our personal vehicles, we are allowed and covered to drive them to the scene, and they are covered by our insurance during the drive to and from and time on scene. Though I’m not sure if that would qualify as the OP stated as using them for duty, or just covered by our insurance. I suspect it is part of the duty, but not as much as the fire apparatus (fire trucks).
Since a large number (probably the majority) of police cars in Honolulu and Hawaii island are subsidized, the counties must have special liability and property damage insurance, probably self-insured though the county. This article states that the county provides liability and property insurance.
"The two departments pay a stipend of up to $488 per month to officers who use their own vehicles, which are unmarked except for distinctive blue emergency lights mounted on the roof.
The departments pay to outfit the vehicles with the lights and police radios and sirens, as well as for gas and liability and property damage insurance. Officers pay their own comprehensive and collision insurance, and vehicle maintenance."
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Jun/16/ln/ln08a.html
In Hawaii, non-emergency vehicles like road crews have yellow lights and go through red lights and stop traffic as part of their work. Whether it’s completely legal or not, I’m not sure, but sometimes they have to do it to complete their operation (e.g. coning off a section of the road for repair). Note that they don’t do this when the traffic is moving fast through the intersection, they’ll wait for a break and stop the cross traffic to move through.
During my first career I was an investigator for the last 4 years and was allowed to use my personal vehicle for certain things. I had to turn in mileage reimbursement slips and such. When I was on the clock I was covered by the agencies insurance and such if I had an accident.
I was not allowed under any circumstances to exceed the speed limit or C-stop traffic lights, or join a pursuit. Even the official unmarked cars were not allowed to be involved in any pursuit.
The Sheriff himself would use his own vehicle to make traffic stops. I almost never did that unless it was a day I was wearing a uniform (yes, Detectives do wear uniforms sometimes). Deputies, Sergeants, and Lieutenants were not allowed to use their own cars for any official business. Only those in the detective Bureau or Captains and above.
In reality I used my personal car very little. Usually only if I needed to do something work related before I went into my office to check in. Or when we did the occasional sting op on a liquor store or cabaret bar. The unmarked cars might have given away our presence. Plus the mileage subsistence wasn’t worth the extra miles I would have put on my own car.
After I retired I took a gig with another department. Here only the Chief can use his own car for official police duties, no one else.
To be fair they are most likely going to a false alarm and not going to run into a burning building. I remember this one kid with his blue light flying down the road and wiping out his car with his sister in it. Just dumb luck that no one was hurt. All for a false alarm call. The fire chief took some extreme measures when he heard about that one.
In New Jersey the fire chief, assistant chief, and chief officer of a rescue squad can get authorization to put red lights and sirens on their personal cars.
I personally know of two police departments in Missouri where the officers were using their own cars. This was in the early to mid nineties, so I don’t know if they still do it or not. I didn’t work for them, just met some of the officers at trainings. At the same time, the Sheriff’s Dept I worked for was extremely cash strapped. The Sheriff and his Major both bought their own vehicles and then “leased” them to the County for a dollar. (Both were drawing full pensions from different departments, so they were using their first year’s salary to pay for the car).