While many people might still think of a two-man patrol in a Ford Crown Vic as the quintessential police unit, times have changed and agencies have more choices than ever for how to create their fleets.
The Ford Police Interceptor is the patrol car of choice for 72 percent of respondents’ vehicle fleets, but 10 percent of those surveyed use vehicles not currently sold as patrol vehicles. These could be older vehicles not listed on the survey. Dodge’s Magnum and Charger are new to the market, so they could creep up in the numbers as agencies purchase more of them to replace older models.
As far as other transportation choices, bicycles are used at a whopping 76 percent of agencies, with motorcycles not far behind at 47 percent. Of those agencies that use motorcycles, 70 percent use Harley-Davidsons. ATVs and boats are also popular modes of transportation used by 39 percent and 34 percent of responding agencies, respectively. And 21 percent utilize helicopters.
To compile this data about law enforcement agencies’ vehicle fleets, an online survey was sent to 4,369 POLICE Magazine readers by e-mail. We received a 14-percent response rate. Read below for detailed information about vehicles at respondents’ agencies.
