New Charger CHP Cars

[68X426]

I went on a winery tour yesterday here in Nothern California. Rain and snow. Great times anyway, great wine and friends.

One of the last stops had a California Highway Patrol officer and public info officer, just doing PR with a Breath-Alyzer. "Free" testing at the winery  . Actually wonderful PR and public outreach. Good thing I wasn't driving, I probably would blow .30 after having had lots of the finest Barbera and Sangiovese wines in the world. 

So, I got to talk with the CHP vets about their car, a worn out Ford Taurus. They said that the new 2011 Chargers were on the way, any day now, for nearly all CHP stations, the largest fleet purchase in CHP history. The CHP is dropping the Taurus because it will only have a V6 and will no longer have the column shift. The officer said they have to have column shifts to provide room for all the equipment and electronics in the center.

Maybe this is old news for some members, but I had not read it anywhere else.

Found some pics over at allpar.com.

[kamkuda]

Really Cool   

[Troy]

Love how the paint job diverts from the body line to make it look more like the original.

I thought the Taurus version was going to have the SVO engine? I can't imagine how Ford would have overlooked the column shift on a police car.

Troy

[68X426]

The CHP guys said that the word is that Ford just didn't want / need the business. 

[aussiemuscle]

Maybe they haven't heard of Ford's new Police Interceptor to replace taurus?

Chargers do look mean tho.

[Dans 68]

I don't believe that the California CHP will have a paint job like that. A lot less white...they like to come out of nowhere and cause a driver's heart to become lodged into his throat. I've experienced it.    Not recommended. But it will be nice to see them on the road. I'll get a photo of our Chargers together if the chance ever arises.

Dan

[Dans 68]

Just seeing if the post button still works....

[tan top]

tough looking police cruiser

[472 R/T SE]

Love how the paint job diverts from the body line to make it look more like the original.



Troy

[femtnmax]

Montana highway patrol is also switching to the new Chargers.   I saw one at the gas pump the other day; talked with the MHP driving the car.  He said the mid range torque, top end power, and handling were all better on the Charger than the Fords they were using.  He did say the front seat room is limited considering all the electronics that need to be installed, but overall he was very pleased with the new Chargers.

[DC_1]

Ford is aggressively trying to market the new Taurus and Explorer as the best Police duty vehicles on the market. They are doing this in an effort to keep from loosing the huge market share they have with the Crown Vic. They could loose a lot of this business when the Crown Vic plant closes this year. 

Here is a comparison with the last generation Charger Police package

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tsbf6gTKG8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[DustinSimmonds]

Looks like the CHP has good taste in cars!  I wonder what will be the paint scheme. 

[HANDM]

I thought cali was broke......anyone know what a fully equipped cop car costs? 50? 60? 70?
Meanwhile we drive around on roads full of potholes
Makes no sense to me.......

I think I'll go buy a new challenger that I can't afford

[Hissing Cobra]

My hometown just got 8 brand new ones last fall to replace the Ford Crown Victorias. From what I understand, our Police Chief paid $38,000 for them each, fully equipped except for the 2-way radio. They also got a new paint scheme for them as well. I've got some friends on the Police force who think they can now take out my Mustang. I laugh because I know they're dreaming. LOL! Here's a pic.

[68X426]

My local "city"    population 4500 (I live out in the country) just got 3 new Chargers. $37000 each. Half paid for with federal tax dollars. All white with a blue side stripe. 

Sonora PD Gets Muscle Cruisers
Criminals beware: The Sonora Police Department just got an injection of horsepower in the form of three brand new police cruisers. The purpose-built Dodge Chargers hit the streets Wednesday morning after a two-year effort to replace a portion of the department's aging squad-car fleet.

The Chargers will replace three bruised and battered Ford Crown Victorias that had high miles or were in need of repairs. Officer Jerry McCaig has used the same battle-scarred Crown Vic for four years, and the car has more than 96,000 miles on it. He was at the city Public Works yard Wednesday transferring safety equipment and a police computer from his old car to the new vehicle.
   
The new cruisers have more room in the front seat and are more comfortable than the old cars, McCaig said. The Chargers also have a larger, more powerful 5.7 liter Hemi V8 engine that produces 368 horsepower. The cars have several features not found in the passenger model, like a beefed up suspension, custom interior, "push bumper" and bigger wheels and brakes.
   
"This was built from the ground up to be a police car," McCaig said, gesturing toward the shiny, white squad car. The city hasn't purchased new cars in more than four years, when it acquired used cruisers from the Salt Lake City Police Department.
   
Sonora PD plans to keep the cars on the street for the next seven to eight years, according to McCaig, who said he puts 1,500 to 2,000 miles on his cruiser each month. Once purchased, the cars were outfitted with $15,000 in extra equipment like lights, sirens and digital cameras. The two-way police radio alone cost $2,500, according to chief city mechanic Jason Morey, who is in charge of maintaining the Police Department's fleet.
   
"We were lucky to get cars as nice as this," he said. The total cost of all three cars was $111,000, with slightly less than half paid for by a Community Facilities Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the rest paid for by the city. The City Council first considered allocating money to buy the cars on Nov. 16, 2009, when it applied for the grant.
   
The old Crown Vics will likely be kept in reserve by the Police Department, McCaig said.