Would you believe me if I told you that the first-ever police car in the US was electric? With police car auctions being one of the more popular categories on the site, I thought it’d be interesting to look back over some of the more popular vehicles over time.
While many envision police departments stepping into the future with full-electric vehicles, would you believe that the first-ever police car was actually an electric vehicle?
The very first police car was an 8hp electric wagon run in Akron, Ohio in 1899. Later, in 1902, Kings County purchased a Rambler which became California’s first police car.
n 1904, New York City had its first police car and since the 1920s, has employed a fleet of Radio Motor Patrol vehicles to aid in its fight against crime within the city.
Ford’s introduction of the flathead V-8 in its Model 18 in 1932––the first low-priced, mass-marketed car with a V8 engine––proved popular amongst police departments and led to strong brand loyalty. In turn, this gave the company a market-capturing edge that lasted until 1968.
Through the 1940s and 1950s, the “Big Three” (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) began to offer specialized police packages with severe duty parts. Foremost amongst these was the Ford package of 1950, which utilized the larger and more powerful Mercury engine in the smaller, lighter Ford. This ended the practice of some state police buying larger and more powerful, but higher-priced models including Buicks, Hudsons, and Chryslers.
In 1969, Plymouth took first place in the police market, with Chrysler’s 440 cu. in. V8s, Torqueflite transmissions, and torsion bar suspensions giving them a compelling advantage. Chrysler held this lead until the 1970s energy crisis drove buyers to smaller cars, and Chrysler subsequently discontinued their rear-drive platform after the 1989 model year.
In the United States and Canada, police departments have historically used standard-size, low-price line sedans since the days of the Ford Model A, although many police departments switched to intermediates––such as the Plymouth Satellite, Ford Torino, and AMC Matador––in the 1960s and 1970s.
Some state highway patrols (including those of California and Missouri) adopted pony cars, such as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and AMC Javelin for use as high-speed pursuit vehicles. The Ford LTD, Plymouth Gran Fury, and Chevrolet Caprice were re-adopted as standard when the models were downsized in the late 1970s.
Throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s Chevrolet offered the 9C1 package for police cars starting with the Nova, Malibu, then the popular Impala and Caprice.
Since the termination of the North American Chevrolet Caprice model in 1996 (though it would subsequently return in 2010 for exclusive law enforcement use), the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor replaced it as the standard patrol car.
From 1997 to 2011, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was the most widely used automobile in law enforcement operations in the United States.
Other models such as the Chevrolet Impala (8th and 9th generations), Chevrolet Tahoe, and Dodge Charger also gained a percentage of the market during this time as departments sought to diversify their fleets should a recall occur.
In September 2011, however, Ford discontinued the Crown Victoria in favor of the 6th-generation Taurus. This has helped Dodge reclaim leadership in the market with the Dodge Charger Pursuit, as of 2012.
With the end of the Crown Vic, Ford released the Police Interceptor version of the Taurus which lasted from 2011-2019.
In 2012, Ford also released a modified Explorer as the Ford Police Interceptor Utility and it is still in use today and one of the most popular out there.
Along with the Impala, Chevrolet also brought back the Caprice in 2011. The Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) was manufactured by Holden in Australia, a left-hand drive version of the Holden WM/WN Caprice exported to North America. Introduced for 2011, the PPV was offered exclusively for sale to law enforcement and continues till 2017.
The arrival of SUVs. As mentioned earlier, For released Explorer as the Ford Police Interceptor Utility in 2012 and so started the rise of the police utility/SUV and so followed Chevrolet with the Tahoe Police Patrol Vehicle in 2015 and Dodge with the Durango in 2018.
The Ford Police Interceptor Utility looks set to take over the mantle from the Crown Victoria as the most widely used and iconic police vehicle in the US.
And, if you are looking to buy a late model ex-cop car at auction, be sure to check out our article here for a load of info you’ll want to know.