Photo Galleries - Vehicles

Firefighters, the military, paramedics, even postal carriers, drive vehicles built for their jobs. The Carbon Motors' E7 would give law enforcement officers such a vehicle. Time will tell whether it becomes the "patrol car of the future." But here's a closer look at its purpose-built (mostly interior) features that have made an impression with officers.

Kawasaki reentered the law enforcement market with the 2009 Concours 14P police motorcycle that arrived in June. The Idaho State Police bought seven bikes to become the first agency to begin using them for motor patrol. For 2010, the company added a few upgrades such as heated hand grips, traction control and a tire pressure moniting system as standard features. Photos are of the 2009 Concours 14P and courtesy of Beaudry Motors Inc.

The Ford Motor Co.'s March announcement that it will introduce a new patrol car has been met with a high level of interest from officers who have been driving the Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor since the 1990s. Ford has been producing vehicles for law enforcement for almost 100 years. Here's a look at photos and ads through the years that feature the company's vehicles, beginning with a Model T police truck produced in 1919.

Each year, the Michigan State Police driving unit evaluates law enforcement vehicles from the new model year. The unit evaluates patrol cars, SUVs and motorcycles using a series of tests that test each vehicle's performance, ergonomics and mechanic-friendly qualities. The results are tallied and included in a report that's used by police fleet managers to aid in the decision to purchase patrol vehicles.

A Texas Chrysler dealer is offering a powerhouse law enforcement version of the re-introduced Dodge Challenger muscle car that can reach 165 mph. The vehicle is available with a variety of custom options and is currently being used by several Texas agencies as a highway car for drug interdiction duty in solid black. We've blogged about the Challenger. Now, take a more in-depth tour with this gallery. Photos courtesy of Group 1 Automotive.

An annual California police motorcycle skills competition drew almost 500 officers to a sun-drenched parking lot along the Huntington Beach sand to compete for top-rider honors, train on patterns of neatly arranged orange cones and share a few moments of levity about their specialized patrol work. The Orange County Traffic Officer's Association hosted the annual police motorcycle skills competition, which nearly doubled in attendance from a year ago.

This week's announcement that General Motors is bringing back the Chevy Caprice patrol car, an officer favorite it stopped producing in 1996, put the editors of POLICE Magazine in the mood to remember the Chevy patrol cars of years past. Chevy has a strong legacy in the patrol car market, and the reintroduction of the Caprice patrol car has excited officers who remember the hot pursuer of the 1990s. We'll start off with the 1954 Chevy Bel Air, a patrol car that was affordable and powerful.

General Motors executives announced they plan to begin production of a new rear-wheel drive Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle today at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Denver. The 2011 Caprice PPV will be available in two configurations: a 355-hp V8 that generates an estimated 384 lb-ft of torque and a tamer V6. An undercover version will also be available. Regardless of how it is configured, the sleek Caprice PPV is likely to make an impression on traffic scofflaws. Revealing the concept car, GM executive Jim Campbell touted the car's bold and commanding presence. He asked, "Can you imagine this baby in your rearview mirror?"

Officers patrolling for agencies that purchased motorcycles from the 2009 model year will be riding one of six models. Harley-Davidson, which began producing police motorcycles in 1908, offers the Road King and Electra Glide (identical engine with sidecar mounting). BMW's R1200 RT-P is a favorite of the California Highway Patrol and Los Angles Sheriff's Department. The company also offers the G650. In 2007, Honda began producing its ST1300, a compact, performance bike. And H-D subsidiary Buell began producing a police version of its Ulysses sportbike in late 2008. Roads can't contain that bike, which has already been put to use by several rural departments.

In the past decade, a new wave of commercial ARVs specifically built for law enforcement has hit the market. Few agencies could afford these big-ticket items prior to then, so initially the expense made it slow-going for the police armored vehicle industry. Then 9/11 changed law enforcement's attitude, and the formation of the Department of Homeland Security and its grant programs led to unprecedented funding for local law enforcement equipment, including ARVs. Responding to this increased demand, ARV manufacturers are developing the next generation of ARVs to meet the needs of contemporary tactical officer.