Thought Pursuit

Why do police departments limit themselves to big SUVs and Dodge Chargers? I ask cops to ponder some unconventional alternatives.

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Where I live, the police drive some heavy-duty machinery. There's the odd Ford Taurus hanging in there, but mainly it's Chevy Tahoes, Dodge Durangos, and Ford Explorers, with a healthy smattering of V-8 Dodge Chargers. One day, while I was daydreaming about municipal budgets (as I am wont to do), I wondered: Would cops drive something smaller and more efficient if they got to share in the savings from a lower purchase price? And if so, what would that number need to be? If I were a cop, I'd think $1000 could persuade me to drive an Escape patrol car. But I am not a cop-I had to turn in my badge because I play by nobody's rules but my own-so I asked some police to join me in this thought experiment.