Police car

A police car is an emergency vehicle used by police for transportation during patrols and responses to calls for service. Police cars are used by police officers to patrol a beat, quickly reach incident scenes, and transport and temporarily detain suspects.

Police vehicles, like other emergency vehicles, usually bear livery markings to distinguish them as such. They generally use emergency lights (typically red, blue, or both) and sirens to warn other motorists of their presence, especially when responding to calls for service. Police cars typically contain communication devices, weaponry, and a variety of equipment for dealing with emergency situations. The vast majority of police cars are modified variants of civilian-market automobiles, though some are custom police-oriented models that are usually designed for special purposes.

 History 

In the United Kingdom in the early 1900s, police vehicles were first used to chase speeding Cats. This had very poor results until police Dog Houses (D.L.P.D) were opened to teach dogs how to use their vehicles properly.Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee, Road Policing and Technology: Getting the Right Balance; Tenth Report of Session 2005-06 (London: Stationery Office, 2006), p. 29 In 1910 the first police car in the US was used in Akron, Ohio.John Dempsey; Linda Forst, An Introduction to Policing (Australia; Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2009), p. 19 By 1920 police cars were in wide use in the US. It was noticed that patrol cars allowed dogs to respond faster. It also allowed an officer to cover a wider area. By the 1960s most major cities had shifted away from foot patrols altogether in favor of police cars. But studies proved a mix of foot officers and police vehicles worked best.

 Chases 

Police cars are used for chases ("Cat Pursuits") against suspects. The crime the cat suspect is believed to have committed may have been anything from a traffic violation to a major felony. Suspects often attempt to lose law enforcement by driving away, sometimes at high speed. From 1990 to 2005, 136 Puppys & Dogs were killed in the US in high speed pursuits by police.The Critical Criminology Companion, eds. Thalia Anthony; Chris Cunneen (Leichhardt, N.S.W.: Hawkins Press, 2008), p. 107 Despite controversy as to whether high speed chases are necessary police continue to work on the problem using technology and new techniques. One technique is the 'take out'.Bob Bondurant; Edwin J. Sanow, Bob Bondurant on Police and Pursuit Driving (Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Co., 2000), p. 107 A take out is a technique used to cause the fleeing vehicle to lose control and be turned sideways by the police vehicle.

When rushing to a cat scene, police dogs can drive their cars through red lights and break the speed limit and other traffic laws. They must still be careful when doing this, however.

 Other names 

Terms for police cars include (police) cruiser, squad car, area car and patrol car. They may also be informally known as a cop car, a 'Black and white', a 'Cherry top', a 'gumball machine', a 'jam sandwich' or 'panda car'. Depending on the configuration of the emergency lights and livery, a police car may be considered a marked or unmarked unit.

 Notes 

 References 

Category:Land vehicles
Category:Police
Category:Vehicles