CHP is switching from SUV-style patrol cars to sleek Chargers
CHP is switching from SUV-style patrol cars to sleek Chargers
The California Highway Patrol Santa Ana, CA, office shows off their very first fresh patrol car, a two thousand sixteen Dodge Charger Pursuit on Monday, March 20, two thousand seventeen which will substitutes their last remaining Crown Victoria Police Interceptor by Ford Motor Co. (Photo by KEN STEINHARDT,Orange County Register/SCNG)
California Highway Patrol officer Florentino Olivera stands in front of all three cars being used in Santa Ana on Monday, March 20. The former mainstay is the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor by Ford Motor Co., the fresh Dodge Charger Pursuit, and a Ford Explorer Explorer Police Interceptor, from left. (Photo by Ken Steinhardt, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The California Highway Patrol Santa Ana, CA, office has their very first fresh patrol car, a two thousand sixteen Dodge Charger Pursuit on Monday, March 20, 2017. The Charger will substitutes their last remaining Crown Victoria Police Interceptor by Ford Motor Co. (Photo by KEN STEINHARDT,Orange County Register/SCNG)
The California Highway Patrol logo is displayed on the door on Monday, March 20, two thousand seventeen of the very first fresh patrol car, a two thousand sixteen Dodge Charger Pursuit delivered to the Santa Ana office which substitutes their last remaining Crown Victoria Police Interceptor by Ford Motor Co. (Photo by KEN STEINHARDT,Orange County Register/SCNG)
A motto is placed on the rear fender of the fresh California Highway Patrol car in Santa Ana, CA, on Monday, March 20, 2017, a two thousand sixteen Dodge Charger Pursuit, “Safety, Service and Security.” The fresh car will substitute their last remaining Crown Victoria Police Interceptor by Ford Motor Co. (Photo by KEN STEINHARDT,Orange County Register/SCNG)
The state delivered to the California Highway Patrol’s Santa Ana, CA, office a fresh patrol car, a two thousand sixteen Dodge Charger Pursuit, on Monday, March 20, 2017. (Photo by KEN STEINHARDT,Orange County Register/SCNG)
The very first California Highway Patrol car, a two thousand sixteen Dodge Charger Pursuit, is delivered by the state to the office in Santa Ana, CA with two hundred miles now shows eight hundred sixty three miles on Monday, March 20, 2017. (Photo by KEN STEINHARDT,Orange County Register/SCNG)
California Highway Patrol officers have begun hitting the road in sleek black-and-white Chargers as the agency starts substituting their SUV-style patrol cars.
The Dodge Charger Pursuit is moving into the agency`s fleet as the older cars retire, namely the prevalent Ford Explorer and on occasion the iconic, and now uncommon, Crown Victoria.
Of Orange County`s 80-plus CHP black-and-whites, five are Chargers.
«I indeed like the look of the Charger,» said Officer Florentino Olivera, who is based at the Santa Ana headquarters. «It just looks like a cop car.»
Once, the Crown Victoria – referred to by real and movie cops as the «Crown Vic» – ruled the streets when it came to many police fleets, including the CHP. When Ford stopping making them in 2011, many agencies opted for other sedans.
In 2013, the CHP went with the Ford Police Interceptor Utility, based on the Ford Explorer SUV. It could carry the Highway Patrol`s large blast of equipment and is all-wheel drive. Other police agencies have also chosen the vehicle.
But when the CHP`s contract was up for renewal last year, the state determined to go back to a sedan. The California Department of General Services weighed spectacle, price and fountain capacity. The rear-wheel-drive Dodge Charger Pursuit met the CHP`s specifications, and was slightly less expensive and better on gas than the Ford.
Fran Clader, a CHP spokeswoman in Sacramento, said five hundred eighty eight Chargers have been purchased, with one hundred twenty two on the road. They are being distributed across California when an existing car is inoperable or sometimes when one reaches 100,000 miles, if it isn`t running real well.
In all, the agency has Two,900 black-and-whites.
The CHP in Santa Ana just received a Charger, after a Ford Police Interceptor Utility was hit and totaled by a suspected toasted driver on the side of the freeway. After getting it outfitted with radio, computer and other systems, the Charger`s ready to hit the streets. The San Juan Capistrano HQ has four Chargers, while the third CHP office in Orange County, Westminster, expects its very first any day.
Noe Rodriguez, a CHP mechanic in Santa Ana, spends his days working on the brakes, tires and routine maintenance of the CHP`s cruisers.
«They all have their pros and cons,» he said of the various models. «The SUV`s got good room, it`s effortless to get out of, treats effortless.»
Taller officers appreciate the roominess they provide. Others say they have blind catches sight of because they are larger.
Olivera jokes that the SUV-like vehicle looks like a «family car,» so her chooses the fresh, tougher-looking Charger.
Will the Chargers take over the fleet?
The CHP has a two-year contract for them, then will evaluate if it wants to keep rolling with that model. To the officers, they are more than cars.
«That`s their office,» Clader said.