Unified Command Center - NACS Vehicles The police and fire departments of Melbourne, Fla., had been seeking funding for...
How we train is how we fight—or more broadly, how we perform under pressure. This also applies to helicopter pilots; how they train versus how they are expected to fly.
Stationary roadblocks are no longer in wide use, but several innovative products could help officers safely end vehicle pursuits.
Officers who underestimate a suspect's resolve to evade capture or overestimate their own limitations or those of the patrol car only enhance the dangers of vehicle pursuits. It's not just the lead unit in a pursuit that is imperiled. Upon hearing of a pursuit in progress, other officers may attempt to catch up and join the chase.
T3 Motion's Non-Lethal Response Vehicle (NLRV) is an electric three-wheeled vehicle designed to provide the maneuverability of the standard T3 with added features for crowd control, including a shield, strobe lights, and onboard PepperBall launchers.
The Montclair (Calif.) Police Department chose Caprice to replace its aging Crown Vics due to the spacious cabin, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, 6.0-liter V-8 engine, and dynamic braking.
Michigan State Police tested new cruisers from Victory Motorcycles—the Commander I and Vision—among the six police motorcycles to be offered in the 2012 model year.
Chrysler's Dodge Charger Pursuit, General Motors' Chevy Caprice PPV, and Ford's Police Interceptor are now the talk of the police vehicle world, as the Big 3 battle to see what company and what car will take the lion's share of what has been undeniably the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor's market.
The vehicle, the patrol car, the "shop," is obviously what distinguishes the vehicle ambush from other types of attacks. It also gives you instant mobility to get out of the kill zone. In keeping with the suggested tactics for lethal force encounters the vehicle helps you move and create distance.
Although many agencies are trying cost-cutting alternatives, it's been my experience as a field supervisor that there is no substitute for a helicopter in the air with a well-trained flight crew. Effective coordination between ground and air units is imperative.
When faced with a barricaded suspect, SWAT officers may want to consider using heavy construction equipment to end the incident.