# Why aren't retired cop cars more "decommissioned"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240 "2018-07-19T23:49:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/21 "2018-07-20T16:51:35Z")
So I think the OP has been answered - you don’t pay to replace bumpers and spotlight when dumping a car that you don’t want. There was a case a couple of decades ago where a guy bid on a police car, but when he picked it up the lights, etc had been removed. He bought them for use in movies, and argued (successfully as I recall) that a key part of the value was the light bar that was on the car at the time of the auction. Here is Ford’s current police interceptor line: [https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/](https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/) Finally - I loved those land yachts. I drove my grandmother’s Lincoln Town Car once she gave up her keys. Massive V8, silent cab, smooth ride. Yes, only got about 20 MPG - but it made LA commuting almost tolerable. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/22 "2018-07-20T17:24:03Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Anybody pulling over for a Crown Vic these days, just doesn’t know cars. The most common patrol cars these days are Dodge Chargers and Ford Interceptors. You forgot to add [Ford Explorers](https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/police-interceptor/utility/) which have [roughly 50%](https://jalopnik.com/what-the-police-spec-2016-ford-explorer-has-that-your-m-1685166241) of the cop market right now… ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/23 "2018-07-20T17:30:33Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > So I think the OP has been answered - you don’t pay to replace bumpers and spotlight when dumping a car that you don’t want. > > There was a case a couple of decades ago where a guy bid on a police car, but when he picked it up the lights, etc had been removed. He bought them for use in movies, and argued (successfully as I recall) that a key part of the value was the light bar that was on the car at the time of the auction. > > Here is Ford’s current police interceptor line: [https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/](https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/) > > Finally - I loved those land yachts. I drove my grandmother’s Lincoln Town Car once she gave up her keys. Massive V8, silent cab, smooth ride. Yes, only got about 20 MPG - but it made LA commuting almost tolerable. I guess the answer is that the money cities can make from selling cars with some equipment left on them outweighs concerns about cop impersonations. I had custody of my parent’s beater Marquis during high school. I could fit 10 people in that thing. MPG was about 14. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/24 "2018-07-20T18:03:42Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Anybody pulling over for a Crown Vic these days, just doesn’t know cars. The most common patrol cars these days are Dodge Chargers and Ford Interceptors. Most of our detective cars are still Crown Vics. I know it depends on the department and town. As far as I know we have never sold our police cars. When they come in New they go to patrol. After several years and a lot of miles they either get a paint job and become detective cars or they get used as cars for traffic details like road construction. After many more years like that the ones that have some useful life will go to DPW or one of the other departments. Of course along the way a significant number are wrecked and canabalized. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/25 "2018-07-20T18:56:48Z")
Much cheaper to not remove it than to remove it. That’s all the reason you need. Also if they sell a car the owner is then responsible to make sure it doesn’t impersonate a cop car. So they can arrest the guy and take the car back and sell it again. Win win win. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/26 "2018-07-20T18:57:13Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > These cars still read “cop!” and I’ve seen fellow motorists (and me) hit the brakes/slow waaay down/not pass the ersatz cop car and clog up traffic. People are dumb-asses when it comes to that kind of thing. About 20 years ago, I had a gigantic top of the line white 1987 Ford LTD Crown Victoria- wire wheels, vinyl top, air adjustable suspension, etc… that I’d got at an estate sale. Invariably on the highway, people would slow down in front of me and toe the speed limit very carefully because I looked like a cop in the rear view mirror. Drove me crazy; I usually wanted to drive faster! And yes, it was a very comfortable car- smooth ride, lots of space, big V8, etc… ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/27 "2018-07-20T19:23:00Z")
My secret to driving is to always go the speed limit and follow the law so that when I see a cop I don’t need to worry ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/28 "2018-07-20T20:32:08Z")
> [@Tread](#): > > But be aware, the cigarette lighter may not work On the plus side, it has a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It’s got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters so it’ll run good on regular gas ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/29 "2018-07-20T21:36:00Z")
> [@txjim](#): > > On the plus side, it has a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It’s got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters so it’ll run good on regular gas The newer models don’t have cats? I’d rather give pursuit in a sedan than SUV, that’s fer shure. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/30 "2018-07-20T22:07:19Z")
I would say that it is because people who want police cars want them to look like that, and also it’s just easier for them not to decommission them too much. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/31 "2018-07-21T20:53:59Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > The newer models don’t have cats. For more [completeness](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080455/quotes): > [@](#): > > [Elwood Blues Jake Blues has a fight over the police car Elwood Blues got after he traded away the original bluesmobile for a microphone] > > Elwood: You don’t like it? > > Jake: No I don’t like it… > > [Elwood Blues floors the pedal and jumps over an open drawbridge] > > Jake: Car’s got a lot of pickup. > > Elwood: It’s got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it’s got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters so it’ll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what? > > [a brief thinking pause while Jake attempts to light a cigarette] ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/32 "2018-07-21T21:34:37Z")
Reminiscing… I had a 1978 Plymouth Gran Fury that had been used by the state police. It was an ugly gold color and had either been for a supervisor or just used as an unmarked patrol car. With the high-performance 440 package (including a very frustrating Thermoquad carb), it would definitely get out of its own way. It also had some interesting options. There was a handle under the steering column that would let you set the idle speed by holding the accelerator cable in the chosen position. Instead of a standard dome light, there was a huge two-lamp unit above the dash that almost blinded you. There was a searchlight in the pillar. It had wheel covers, but they were very plain. You could also see some brackets near the radiator where the lights had been mounted. The whole package just screamed “COP CAR!” and everybody would pull to the side as I went to pass them. On the other hand, when they removed the fender-mounted aerial from the rear deck next to the trunk, they covered the hole with a disc of plain black rubber. They just glued it to the metal with some epoxy. That part looked like crap. I often thought I should just buy a cheap whip antenna and stick that on to fill the hole. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/33 "2018-07-23T15:41:03Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > My secret to driving is to always go the speed limit and follow the law so that when I see a cop I don’t need to worry It’s not always a matter of obeying a sign, though: > [@](#): > > A person operating a vehicle on a highway shall operate that vehicle at a careful and prudent speed not greater than nor less than is reasonable and proper, having due regard to the traffic, surface, and width of the highway and of any other condition existing at the time. A person shall not operate a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than that which will permit a stop within the assured, clear distance ahead. A violation of this subsection shall be known and may be referred to as a violation of the basic speed law or “VBSL”. On non-statutory roads (i.e., prima facie roads), the general rule of thumb is “up to nine, and you’re fine.” Because we use the 85% percentile rule, our speed limits would never increase if everyone blindly followed signs (we now have 75 mph segments). And pretty much, only assholes worry about seeing cops (people illegally occupying the left lane, for example). ---
**Author:** ![Tread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Tread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tread)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/34 "2018-07-23T17:42:08Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > About ten years ago, I used to see an obviously ex-police car around downtown Portland… with the anarchy symbol painted on its doors. Is there a standard symbol that anarchists are required to use? ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/35 "2018-07-23T19:06:19Z")
> [@Tread](#): > > Is there a standard symbol that anarchists are required to use? If you came to more of the meetings, you’d know it’s a big, black…A. You can pick any font you like (we are anarchists after all) No comic sans though. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/36 "2018-07-23T19:19:02Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > If you came to more of the meetings, you’d know it’s a big, black…A. You can pick any font you like (we are anarchists after all)\*\* No comic sans though.\*\* Oppression!!! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/37 "2018-07-23T21:04:13Z")
cop cars are more worn out than the mileage - the engines run a lot when the car is not moving. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240/38 "2018-07-24T04:41:04Z")
> [@Tread](#): > > Is there a standard symbol that anarchists are required to use? Heh… it was something like [this](http://www.anarchism.net/images/download_ca_black.jpg). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-retired-cop-cars-more-decommissioned/818240.md?page=1)