it’s because they don’t have to pay for the fuel???
Overseas where they pay $3.00 a gallon they seem to be able to manage in smaller vehicles why not north america.
Also I think it’s a mocho thing the cops and north americans just like the bigger vehicles no matter how stupid it might seem.
Came to this thread late, but FWIW I once asked my father who’s been in law enforcement most of his life this same question. His answers were, in this order:
Safety/Reliability. Basically, the officer wants as much good old American iron as possible between him and the mean, scary outside world. Those Fords and Chevys are also extremely reliable - those big V8s may not have a tremendous amount of power compared to smaller turbocharged sports cars, but they don’t mind idling/running for long periods of time [many districts run their cars 16 or more hours a day], they can run flat out for extended periods without blowing up, they require relatively little maintenance, and when they do break down they are relatively easy and cheap to fix.
Space. Police vehicles need to carry a tremendous amount of stuff. Lights, radio/siren unit, evidence gathering supplies, assorted folders and papers, computer, first aid kit, shotgun…the list goes on and on. All of that material must be able to fit into the vehicle without impeding the ability of the officer to quickly enter and exit the vehicle, maneuver about inside, and even draw his weapon if necessary.
Tradition. Probably because of points one and two, but officers seem to prefer big American sedans because they’ve always driven big American sedans. In his opinion, this was the main reason departments across the country for years continued buying Dodge Diplomats, even though their paltry 318 was easily outpaced by most of the cars on the road, to the point that ballsy speeders in smaller jurisdictions would see what type of car was after them and just keep going, knowing that the officer had no chance of catching them and that backup, if called, would take too long to arrive [how’s that for a run-on?].
Also note that while most duty officers do drive some sort of ‘police package’ vehicle, many detectives, supervisors and the like drive something other than Crown Vics, Impalas and Caprices. While in the past detectives especially tended to get older duty vehicles, departments [at least around here] are finding it cheaper to issue them Tauruses or the like [typically outfitted with a radio and dash light]. My father [now Chief]'s duty vehicle is a Blazer outfitted with radio and grille lights. Something to think about before you give that guy in the family car the bird. 
I thought something similar (see my post at the top of the page), but then I did a bit of research.
http://members.fortunecity.com/pdcar4/moscow.htm
http://members.nbci.com/govcars/aust.html
http://members.nbci.com/rwcar4/tj.html
http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~kira/english/kuwait00.htm
Now, my question isn’t so much “why do North American cops have such big cars?” but rather “why do European cops have such small cars, and how do they get by?” Can’t find large cars? If the Rooskis can get Crown Vics, so can the rest of the Continent. Narrow streets and expensive gas? Maybe. Don’t need such a large vehicle since everyone else is driving an econobox? Maybe.
elmwood, I’ve never been to Europe, but I have the impression that a lot of European cities and towns have incredibly tight and/or winding roads. It would be almost impossible to drive a full-sized car at high speed on these roads; a small car would be better here.
Admittedly, this is an assumption. Hopefully, someone will confirm or refute it.
OK, not to hijack the thread, but now answer me this:
Why is there always at least one Pasadena PD cruiser in line at the detailing place that’s on the route between my house and the freeway?
That car wash has gotta be the safest spot in town. Safer even than Dunkin Donuts.
'Cuz America’s just plain better than Europe. 
Confirm. …I was about to bring up that point. Just TRY and parallel park a CrownVic in one of the medeival town streets of Stockholm, Paris or Rome.
The Cops in the Baltics use Smaller Mazdas… The Swedes use Volvos, French use Peugeots, Italians use Alfas, Irish use Opels…
Most countries will use what is produced locally (or close enough to locally), because ANY import is going to cost you. European countries don’t import Chevys or Fords because iut would cost them too much for maintenance and replacement parts. So they always grab what is locally available.
The Brits were using Jags for hte longest time (I think they still do), because they’re relatively inexpensive and easy to fix (in their home country).
But the other point of why North American Departments prefer the classic Caprises and CVs is:
Better handling.
Chevy still makes a full size (Impala), but the cops take the Ford, not just because of the structure, but because it’s also the last rear-wheel-drive full size car made in America.
(BMWs and Mercedes’ would be wayyy too expensive to maintain)
Their only other choice would be the muscle cars (Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes, Vipers)… but you can imagine the costs of the last two. And yeah, they’re only there for high-speed, highway pursuit.
(Remember, you can’t outrun the radio!)
Yes, the RCMP has started trying out the Intrepid, but found that Front Wheel drive doesn’t quite cut it for their needs. So the ones you see are probably detailed for “around the town” work.
In my city in California they use bicycles & soon, horses.
I think those big cop cars can’t be all that quick or fast though.
About the gas thing, all the cop cars around here run on propane.
Anyone ever been through Death Valley? A few years back, I was in that area, and I remember seeing the cops using a Corvette, Mustangs, and what looked like a mid-70’s firebird as patrol cars. I guess they need that extra muscle on the completely straight highway that goes through there…
While we are on the topic, why do US cops use those big, harley-like motorcycles? I remember when I was passing through europe that the cops over there used what looked like racing bikes. They certainly looked cooler and faster than what our cops use!
-
-
- This looks like opinions more than reasons.
-
- Do tell, why is fuel so expensive in Europe?
- And if you please, what specifically makes a smaller car better than a larger car? - MC
Try ramming a stolen truck with a Honda Civic. And if bullets were flying would you rather be behind a Crown Vic or a Civic?
How’s this for a reason? People size.
Same reason a lot of fleet vehicles are larger vehicles. When a vehicle is used by multiple people, it needs to be usable by different people. It’s easier to get a small person into a big car than a big person into a small car
The Taurus is a big car? I don’t think so. Mid-size, at best. Also, most fleets won’t buy Civics or Sentras as they are foreign. doesn’t matter that they were BUILT in the US, people don’t see that. They just know that the companies in question aren’t American. I’d rather buy the US built car (to support the WORKERS) than the American cars (many of which are built largely in Canada and Mexico). Ask yourself which companies have opened more car plants in the US in the last 20 years - American or Japanese.
to make up for their little dicks
…just kidding, if yousa cop don’t come and arrest me over this pleeze…
Intimidation and respect factor.
RCMP tried using BMWs for a while, but they just weren’t getting the respect that they automatically achieve by riding a hog.
My dad took part in vehicle evaluations in MN several times and there is quite a lot involved in what car gets chosen. Trunk space, interior space, ease of installing/removing/repairing computer/radio equipment, speed, acceleration, handling (especially inclement weather handling) reliability, company history, fuel economy, comfort during extensive driving (are you cramped anywhere after many driving hours), equipment ergonomics, repair/spare parts cost, safety, etc. Everything is scored and tallied against each other, and the best vehicle for the best price wins the contract. In the early 80’s, the Dodge St. Regis was the winner and everyone loved it. But within the first year, each car had had the transmission replaced at least three times. They’ve yet to get a Mopar after that. Smaller cars lose out on the obvious space requirements, safety and generally score lower in handling and ergonomics. The Fords and Chevy’s usually win because of their history and repair costs being low. Here in St. Louis, they are switching over to the new Impalas and with all the stuff inside, there is about the same room as in my Eclipse. Even in my Contour, I can’t imagine what it would be like with a computer, shotgun rack, cage divider and radio rack.
CA people, when I left CA last year I know that one of the “finalists” for the CHP was the Volvo (240?). Did this happen yet or did they go against it?
While Harleys might be a bit on the extreme side of the spectrum, police departments tend not to use sportsbikes for several reasons.
Rider comfort is important to anyone spending days in the saddle - and while a GSX-R is fast in the right hands, it’s a pain in the butt (and between the shoulder blades) if one has to spend 8 hours a day on it, for weeks. One would tend to try for the more comfy tourer/sportstourer types.
Police officers need a lot of luggage capacity, and most sportsbikes don’t really adapt well for that purpose, while (again) sportstourers are designed for carrying hard bags.
Power for radios, lights and sirens isn’t necessarily available in a sportsbike designed to by hyperlightweight.
And sportsbikes tend to get updated/outdated extremely quick, while the more sedate types stay the same for longer.
All in all, going for the the more “sensible” types makes sense. The apparent lack of horsepower is normally compensated for by the officers’ excellent driving training - these guys are FAST in the twisties.
I don’t see why a Harley would command more respect than a BMW, except that people are used to seeing the Harleys.
I, for one, am highly respectful of any bike with the word “Polizei”, be it a BMW or a Jap. OTOH, I do like to think that I’d be able to outride most Harleys, if I were stupid enough to try to race the cops. Which I’m not, of course.
S. Norman
I was told by a friend (who bought a Harley) that generic biker gang type people (you know, the classic “biker bar” that Joe Nerd has to go into to make a phone call in the movies all the time…do these even exist anymore?) would mock and probably damage a sportsbike if they saw it parked outside with their Harleys because Harleys make the big deep “manly” powerful sounds, and sportsbikes sound “wussy”. I have no idea if this is true though, as my friend tends to BS me a lot, heh…
Personally I’d rather have a sportsbike…They look more fun to ride, crouched over and “speedy”, instead of sitting straight up and relaxing.
- Tsugumo
I haven’t read the entire thread, so please forgive me if this has already been said.
In California the Highway Patrol experimented with Mustangs and Cameros. The Mustangs were around longer than the Cameros, but both were discontinued. Although the CHP liked the speed and handling of the “sports cars” (personally, I’ve always thought they were too big to be considered “sports cars”), there was not enough room to carry the people they arrested. While an “interceptor” might be good for issueing traffic tickets, a two-door car is not very good for transporting arrested persons.
My problem with the Cameros and Mustangs was that they often did not have the light bar on top, making them hard to identify when they’re coming up behind me. Relatively few people drive Crown-Vics, so they’re fairly easy to spot and you can slow down and pretend to be driving legally. Lots of people drive Cameros and Mustangs, so it was harder to pick out the CHP. Good riddance to them, I say!
(Of course the high cost of fuel has caused me to slow down to the speed limit, so the point is moot. Unless I’m on the bike.)
Let’s not forget that Harley-Davidson is domestic, and the police have political factors to consider when making a large fleet purchase.
And as the others said, Harleys are big, comfortable, powerful, and you can hang a lot of stuff off of them.
Personally, I’ve never understood the appeal of sport bikes. The performance they offer is completely wasted on public streets, and they look damned uncomfortable. I understand the coolness factor, but to me the liabilities just totally outweigh that one benefit.
Just about any motorcycle will have enough performance that it would be recklessly dangerous to use it all on a public road anyway. So why not get a nice big comfy Electra-Glide if you want to tour, or a nice mid-sized upright bike with some decent saddlebags and a nice windscreen for tooling around town?