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It's the ultimate test of a car's toughness and durability -- taking on duty as a police patrol car.


Story by wlky.com


It's the ultimate test of a car's toughness and durability -- taking on duty as a police patrol car.

Today's police cruisers are not only faster, they're smarter too.

For the past 33 years Louisville Metro police officer Donnie Smith has put his foot to the floor in some of the best police cruisers to come down the assembly line.

He has driven everything from Buick Grand Nationals to Chevy Camaros to a flurry of Fords.

Smith said most of the vehicles he's driven have had the horsepower to track down speeders, but not all.

Police cars have come a long way over the decades. In its day, officers said, the Dodge Monaco was the cruiser of choice. Today, many prefer the Ford Crown Victoria. But Dodge is about to make a comeback.

The Dodge Charger is the newest challenger to Chevy's Impala and other SUV's that have lots of room, but are real gas guzzlers.

Even more than get-up-and-go, though, police said it's really the techno-tools that are the mark of a modern cruiser.

Cameras are almost commonplace in police vehicles as well as up to seven or more antennas to send and receive information. Smith said that information is then fed to the vehicle's computers, radios and radar, and can catch drivers coming and going.

"It will talk to me and tell me, 'front scene closing.' See I'm getting closer on him," said Smith. "Now, if I want to hit the rear, it will also tell me, 'rear scene away.' This means I'm going faster than he is."

You won't find a computer on Indiana State Trooper David Barclay's Harley Davidson motorcycle -- but you will find a laser. Barclay said his old two-wheel tool-of-the-trade makes maneuvering in behind you a breeze.

"It's just as safe as riding in a car if done properly," said Barclay. "You don't have as much protection, but at the same time there are advantages and disadvantages."

However, one of the drawbacks for Barclay and other motorcycle officers is that they still have to handwrite citations. But that's something Smith hasn't done for a while now.

"I don't write out names and stuff. I scan it," said Smith. "You can see the computer just populated that whole citation."

Officers call this new technology "plugged-in policing," and in a wireless world it's increasing officer safety and efficiency.

"It prints out a prepaid offense instruction sheet and a citation," said Smith.

Police said it's not uncommon for an officer in a well-equipped unmarked cruiser, to be able to clock a speeder coming at him or going past him. Officers said they can then turn around and get him going the same direction before stopping him.

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