Last Thursday, the very last Ford Crown Victoria rolled off an assembly line in Canada.
The demise of the fabled "Crown Vic" means police departments and taxi companies all over the U.S., and indeed around the world, will have to consider how to replace aged and aging vehicles.
The Tulsa Police Department is no exception. TPD has relied heavily on the Crown Vic for 15 years, according to Cpl. Dan Ward, the department's driving coordinator.
Now that it's no longer an option, how will the department decide what to buy next?
Ward says there are several considerations. Safety, of course, and performance. Price, as well as fuel and maintenance costs. Also, size -- the department has purchased Dodge Chargers as well in recent years, but Ward says they've heard some complaints that the Chargers are too small.
An officer carries a lot of equipment, including weapons, computers, report forms, safety equipment, etc. A smaller vehicle often gets cramped, Ward says.
The department bought several 2011 Crown Vics, so administrators don't feel like they need to rush into any decisions. They're doing their homework, testing new vehicles and comparing them to one another.
Here are some of the models TPD may consider purchasing in the near future:
Ford is replacing the Crown Vic with a model it has dubbed the Ford Police Interceptor. It's basically a Taurus, with a 365-horsepower twin-turbo V-6. One issue with the FPI is it doesn't offer rear-wheel drive, and police officers love the "bootleg turn," which requires a rear-wheel drive vehicle to perform.
Dodge has its Charger, and as mentioned, TPD has purchased them previously. The company plans to revamp the Charger, adding improvements to the chassis and powertrain, as well as a more efficient engine. One model will feature the Hemi V-8 engine.
Chevrolet's offering for 2012 is the Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. That resurrects a nameplate not seen on an assembly line since 1996. It will come with a 355-horsepower 6-liter V-8, with an option to go to the more fuel-efficient V-6. Chevy says it has relocated some of the radio gear to the trunk, and specially designed seats to accomodate an officer's holster belt and its equipment.
And then, there's the new kid on the block: The Carbon Motors E7. The first vehicle ever designed from the ground up specifically as a police vehicle, it is a high-tech, state-of-the-art vehicle that's so cutting-edge it hasn't even actually become available yet.
The Carbon E7 is designed to incorporate the wish lists of working police officers. It will be a foot shorter than the Crown Vic, but the wheelbase is longer, providing more interior space.
It will offer some 21st Century features as well, including a rear set fitted with sensors capable of detecting biological, chemical, and radioactive threats.
The problems with the E7 are basically twofold: It will be quite expensive, and the company hasn't begun building the cars yet. It hopes to have them in production within the next couple of years.
Ward says TPD has looked at the E7, but in the current economic times, he thinks it more likely that the department will stay with a more traditional vehicle.