For many years, the most common police cruiser you would see on the roads was the Ford Crown Victoria, known as the Crown Vic. Ford stopped making that car in 2012 and when it did many agencies retired their Crown Vic patrol cars and replaced them with vehicles that got better gas mileage and offered all-wheel drive. The Ford Crown Vic, like the Mustang notchback patrol car, is a classic and some agencies still have them around.
The Ashland Police Department recently retired its last Crown Vic police car, which was a 2010 model year car used by a K9 officer. That officer was Chris Alberini and his partner Dax. The duo now drives a Ford Police Interceptor outfitted for K9 operations. One reason the Crown Vic that Alberini and his partner drove lasted longer than other Crown Vics at the department was because it wasn’t used for all three shifts, so it had a longer service life.
Many of the veteran officers lament the Crown Vic going out of service. They liked the car, saying it had good visibility and was lower to the ground than the SUVs that most agencies are moving to. With Ford ending production of its Crown Vic, many departments moved to Chevy Tahoe or Dodge Charger patrol cars.
Ford is pushing hard with the Explorer-based Police Interceptor, and it is the fastest of all police interceptor vehicles in testing. The Police Interceptor also comes in a hybrid version that promises to save departments significant money on fuel costs. One officer says that the Crown Vic will be extinct before long.
The cars are being replaced with newer vehicles as they reach the milage and service life parameters set by departments. We hope that departments will be able to keep a few examples around for parades and other uses, just as the Nebraska State Police have with its 1993 Ford Mustang SSP.
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Source: Milford Daily
Comments
Small police departments in Oregon that are cash-strapped get hand-me-down Crown Vics sometimes.
You still see them on the news when they are showing crime scenes. Especially in California. We still have a few here in Maine
I still see them around. Despite being a diehard Ford guy, I do not care for the Crown Vic or Grand Marquis, and was not sorry to see them go (in 2011, not 2012). My parents had a 2008 Grand Marquis, I hated the seating position, the vague steering (which was admittedly better than 2002 and older versions), and the floaty ride. I have a bad back and other issues, and the pillowy ride caused me to subconsciously tense up, which caused extreme pain in a short time. I was literally brought to tears one day when driving my mother to several doctor appointments. I refused to drive it thereafter.
The 2012 Taurus SEL that replaced it is so much better, it’s like stepping out of the 1970s and into the modern era. Handling is crisp (especially for a car this large and heavy), the ride is nice without the floaty feeling, and the seating position (along with legroom, and support provided by the seats) is much, much better. I can drive the Taurus for days (and have) without any of the issues I had with the old Panther.
P.s., the “Taurus” in my username is representative of my beloved 1995 Ford Taurus, not their 2012, even though I did convince them to dump the Grand Marquis for it back in ’12, a decision none of us regret.