Police Chases - law enforcement vehicles

[Boomer]

Every now and then, I will watch one of those police chases on You Tube. Mostly they seem to be in Arkansas or Florida. What amazes me is the police cars seem ikn many cases to be unable to keep up with cars like small Kias, Toyotas, etc. So I am curious. What are police interceptors running undr the hood? I would think they would be built to allow the police to run down about anything except maybe one of those 750 HP jobs that are out there.
Any thoughts on this?

 

[ctechbob]

Every now and then, I will watch one of those police chases on You Tube. Mostly they seem to be in Arkansas or Florida. What amazes me is the police cars seem ikn many cases to be unable to keep up with cars like small Kias, Toyotas, etc. So I am curious. What are police interceptors running undr the hood? I would think they would be built to allow the police to run down about anything except maybe one of those 750 HP jobs that are out there.
Any thoughts on this?

Depends on the cars.

Our current interceptors are the 3.0L Ecoboost with AWD. Quick off the line, but still an SUV.

Before that they were AWD Chargers with the V8.

Gotta remember, they're loaded down with crap inside and all kinds of stuff tacked onto the exterior... and are usually driving a bit more cautious.

 

[rstsco]

I remember when Texas started buying the Mustangs designed specifically for police work. It was a modified version of the SVO. Tough for "the bad guy" to get away from the troopers.

When I was with the sheriff's department in the early 2000s, the Crown Vics would top out at about 140 on a good day and the boat-shaped Caprice a little over. My understanding is the new SUV style patrol vehicles can do around 150.

 

[michaelluscher]

The days of the specialized high speed pursuit vehicles are long gone around here
TBF, the current Mach E (346hp) or Explorer FPIU (318hp) easily walk these fox body dinosaurs
The 10 speed/EV is better for the city anyway, where off the line power is better than high geared top speed

You underestimate the recklessness of the average Kia boy/enraged Uber driver

 

[GON]

As @ctechbob implied, lots going on with the pursuit vehicle . Unlike the vehicle being pursued- LE can't "drive it like they stole it". The rules of engagement are very different than the vehicle fleeing and eluding. The LE vehicle has concerns about others safety, has a boss that may be giving guidance, to include how close to pursuit, department policies, it never end.

Bottom line- LE has both hands tied behind their back when in pursuit of a vehicle fleeing and eluding. It is not fair/ equal terms.

 

[jadmt]

when I started we had some diplomats with propane conversions and those would give you nightmares....0-60 in about a minute......went from those to Caprices with the V8's that would do an honest 135-140mph and the Ford Crown Vic maybe 125mph but was comfortable as a sofa doing it.. but it wasn't until the mopars came that things got interesting...150+..when we wanted really fast we motors were the way...but of course not doing a pursuit on a motor...

 

[Bailey28]

As the years have gone by the police package items have gotten better. Better engine and a/c cooling, better special seats so your gun doesn't eat into the foam, oil coolers, pursuit rated tires, huge alternators, etc. Slightly higher idle speed in some cases, some react to driver input and go into 'pursuit mode' by raising the shift points, holding the gear you are in longer. The newer Explorers have this feature and it is very noticeable. Check out the brakes on a new Tahoe with the police package. 16.4" front rotors. However most engines retain stock internals with perhaps a little tuning help from the ECU.

Even with all of that the most you can do is your best to follow that crazy idiot who refuses to stop for some reason. You have to react to their moves and also what everyone else around you two are doing and that takes time. Time at high speeds equals extra distance. Even if you manage to stay right on their bumper how does one car get another to stop?

PIT maneuvers can be used but each department sets rules for when and where they can be used. Some departments don't mind killing everyone in the car because the driver refused to stop after making a right on red where you can't or some other low level traffic offense. Other departments have no pursuit policies unless there was a verified forcible felony just committed such as a kidnapping, rape, robbery, etc. The bad guys know who chases and who doesn't. Ultimately your command staff and a bunch of lawyers and judges will decide whether the juice you poured during the pursuit was worth the squeeze especially if someone is injured or killed.

So during a pursuit the things that run through an officer's head are: Will I get into trouble for this.. I could die.. they could die.. someone unrelated could die...I could be fired and lose my income...I could be sued and lose even more money.. I could go to jail...All while chasing someone in an uncontrolled environment with the possiblility of taking incoming gunfire when you are behind them, gunfire when you stop, a crash where you are incapacitated and cannot continue...

 

[goblin]

I realized that I had local news on my Roku channel last week, and ended up on LA local news (I'm on the East Coast). Local enough.
It was a police chase, and the guy was in a Toyota CHR, and dropped them all, got to an apartment complex, parked, then flew into the sunset on foot, never to be found.
It was in the densest of city traffic, and following him was simply homicidal for everybody else.

 

[D60]

Coming from a 'wheeling background, I find it moderately annoying that my local PD and SO run lowered, 4wd Tahoes. Kinda defeats the purpose of a 4WD SUV to lower it and run low profile sidewalls.

I understand it's for high speed pursuit, but for me it begs the question of if there's not something better suited from the get-go, like an Explorer.

I do also wonder about the cumulative impact on the taxpayer of running V8s all day vs a smaller turbo something in an Explorer. They ALL replace 'em every three years so longevity is a distant concern.

 

[fdcg27]

I recall the first time I drove a CVPI. I was surprised at how slow it was. The five speed VTEC Accord I daily drove at the time could have easily lost it in a high speed chase.
Police vehicles are selected as much for durable and reliable performance and officer comfort on long shifts as for speed.

 

[Hall]

I would think they would be built to allow the police to run down about anything

They have radios.

 

[goblin]

....running V8s all day vs a smaller turbo something in an Explorer...

They've been V6 for a very long time now. Same for the Durangos.
The link above is one of my preferred ones. It trips my "How on Earth did this happen ?!?" reflex every time.

 

[4wd]

You can get the Ford interceptor SUV with 400 HP from that EB …

 

[4wd]

They have radios.

And helicopters

 

[Hall]

And helicopters

I'm not sure how common they are anymore, at least outside of the largest cities.

 

[4wd]

I'm not sure how common they are anymore, at least outside of the largest cities.

Yes, large cities own them - our county will hire a guy who will respond asap

 

[CleanSump]

Cliche; You can outrun my motor, but you can't outrun my Motorola.
I notice most of the chases on TV are being covered by a camera in a helicopter.

 

[fantastic]

There have been the popular AR video's by certain troopers BUT I think there should be something said about NOT risking a PIT hurting others on the road while costing tax payers more money to replace said Cop vehicle. It's easier to outrun police when you don't care about safety etc. That's why you see many of them crashing that ends the chase. Police need to still practice awareness & safety while pursuing. That will cost some speed.