ice-capades Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 (edited) LASD Still Has Sizable Crown Victoria Fleet https://fordauthority.com/2023/12/lasd-still-has-sizable-ford-crown-victoria-fleet/ Discontinued years ago, the Ford Crown Victoria still holds a special place in the hearts of many Blue Oval fans, not to mention law enforcement agencies and taxi drivers that have racked up many miles behind the wheel of the big sedan. While there are a few Crown Vics still on duty at various police agencies in the U.S., most have long since switched over to more modern offerings like the Police Interceptor Utility, though at least two New York City cab drivers would seemingly rather retire than do such a thing. However, as The Drive recently discovered, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) still has a whopping 429 Ford Crown Victoria sedans in its fleet, amazingly enough. LASD loves the Ford Crown Victoria so much, in fact, that it placed an order for 600 units back in 2011 – the model’s final year of production – and even today, more than a decade later, most of that fleet remains intact. The idea was to simply save some money, and it’s clear now that LASD was quite wise in their decision to drop the funds necessary to beef up their Crown Vic fleet years ago, rather than opting for the latest in terms of police-spec models. On top of that, it seems as if most LASD officers simply love the car, too. “The Crown Victoria is a rugged and durable platform that has held up great over the years,” said Sergeant David M. Davis of the LASD Fleet Management Unit. “Tenured deputies who have driven them for the majority of their patrol careers still prefer them to the Ford Police Interceptor Utility, which is also in use by the Department, while newer deputies seem to prefer the Police Interceptor Utility. The biggest maintenance challenge we have encountered is the growing obsolescence of some mechanical parts that are needed for repairs. The cars vary in mileage which makes it hard to predict exactly how long they will remain in service. Parts availability will also be a factor in how much longer they remain in service.” As one might imagine, this once-massive fleet is thinning out a bit over the years for these very reasons, meaning that even at LASD, the Ford Crown Victoria is facing the proverbial end of the road. However, it’s unclear just when the very last Crown Vic will be retired from duty, and given how long this group has lasted thus far, they seemingly have a few more years left in them, at least. Edited December 13, 2023 by ice-capades Additional Content Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted December 13, 2023 Author Share Posted December 13, 2023 Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I somehow remember hearing that actually 10,000 Crown Victoria Police Interceptors were ordered during the final Model Year. Perhaps that number was related to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oac98 Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 29 minutes ago, ice-capades said: Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I somehow remember hearing that actually 10,000 Crown Victoria Police Interceptors were ordered during the final Model Year. Perhaps that number was related to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Before Ford Talbotville closed lots of police forces across America and Canada stockpiled Crown Vic’s. Maybe they had the biggest order but up here I remember Toronto Police ordering 300 of them near the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeluxeStang Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 These cars were a good buy when they were $1,500 or like 4 grand for one in great condition. But these days, nah, you're paying 4 grand for one that's been run through, and I've seen close to 10 grand being asked for ones in good condition. Freaking ridiculous. Such a shame that influencers drove the price of these cars through the roof. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe771476 Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 Ford just likes to abandon segments that were reasonably profitable. I don't know why. They tossed the farm tractor biz, Class 8 heavy truck in 1996/1997, the Crown Vic, Taurus and Fusion police cruiser and civilian biz There's lots of police depts. here in CT that are using a ton of Dodge Chargers. And the Dodge dealers weren't stupid. They got officers into their SUV's as well! So Ford lost the sedan police biz AND SUV sales as well! And along with the CV sales, they lost the Lincoln Town Car limo biz. When they had the opportunity to make Lincoln the (New) Standard of the World when Cadillac fell out of favor, they blew that too! Ford had a better idea? That bulb wasn't too bright! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 On 12/17/2023 at 10:14 AM, Joe771476 said: So Ford lost the sedan police biz AND SUV sales as well! Yeah, no, they didn't. I see a LOT more PIUs than Dodge SUVs wearing law enforcement livery, and a lot more PIUs than Chargers, too. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 1 hour ago, SoonerLS said: Yeah, no, they didn't. I see a LOT more PIUs than Dodge SUVs wearing law enforcement livery, and a lot more PIUs than Chargers, too. I've seen a few F-150s done up as cop or state patrol cars, which I thought was interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 12 minutes ago, silvrsvt said: I've seen a few F-150s done up as cop or state patrol cars, which I thought was interesting. Our city has Silverados and Tahoes. Other nearby cities have F150s. County switched from chargers to Explorer PIUs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 1 hour ago, silvrsvt said: I've seen a few F-150s done up as cop or state patrol cars, which I thought was interesting. I don't know about the 2024MY F-150's, but through the 2023MY Ford offered a F-150 Police Responder model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisgb Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 1 hour ago, silvrsvt said: I've seen a few F-150s done up as cop or state patrol cars, which I thought was interesting. 1 hour ago, silvrsvt said: I've seen a few F-150s done up as cop or state patrol cars, which I thought was interesting. 1 hour ago, akirby said: Our city has Silverados and Tahoes. Other nearby cities have F150s. County switched from chargers to Explorer PIUs. Many counties with a large proportion of water have pickup LEVs. My county (Pierce County, WI) patrols 23,000 acres of water incl portions of the MS and St Croix Rivers with two boats 22' &18' with at least two Super Duty's. Neighboring counties along the river way also are like equipped. Plus, MN and WI DNR's. 48 minutes ago, ice-capades said: I don't know about the 2024MY F-150's, but through the 2023MY Ford offered a F-150 Police Responder model. https://www.policemag.com/products/article/15658589/ford-pro-coming-soon-2024-ford-fullline-police-vehicle-brochure Appears to be a SuperDuty on the cover. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 2 hours ago, Chrisgb said: https://www.policemag.com/products/article/15658589/ford-pro-coming-soon-2024-ford-fullline-police-vehicle-brochure Appears to be a SuperDuty on the cover. The cover photo is an F-150 Police Responder which, according to the Ford site will be available for the 2024MY with brochure to be released at a future date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomcat68 Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 On 12/23/2023 at 11:44 AM, silvrsvt said: I've seen a few F-150s done up as cop or state patrol cars, which I thought was interesting. In the case of hurricanes, blizzards or disasters, that would be a great responder vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GearheadGrrrl Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 F150 makes a lousy and at worst dangerous pursuit vehicle, but makes sense as an EMT/Fire first response vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 1 hour ago, GearheadGrrrl said: F150 makes a lousy and at worst dangerous pursuit vehicle, but makes sense as an EMT/Fire first response vehicle. City police don’t do high speed pursuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 NJ State Troopers use the F-series as a pursuit vehicle-so given that a radio will out run anyone speeding, nits not as big of a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GearheadGrrrl Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 IIRC Ford cautions that the F Series is not "pursuit rated"... The laws of physics pre-empt fantasies that a tall pickup is a sports car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 13 minutes ago, GearheadGrrrl said: IIRC Ford cautions that the F Series is not "pursuit rated"... The laws of physics pre-empt fantasies that a tall pickup is a sports car! You do not remember correctly. Quote DEARBORN, Mich. — Fleet order banks are open for the new 2024 Ford F-150 Police Responder. As the first pursuit-rated pickup truck and one of Ford’s fastest vehicles in its entire lineup, the F-150 Police Responder is engineered to meet a wide range of law enforcement agency needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GearheadGrrrl Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 So looks like Ford has decided to take legal responsibility for all the pursuit rollovers of these things... Not a smart financial move! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRunrGuy Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 3 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said: So looks like Ford has decided to take legal responsibility for all the pursuit rollovers of these things... Not a smart financial move! Source to support your statement,,,, HRG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted December 25, 2023 Author Share Posted December 25, 2023 (edited) 2023 Police & Special Service Vehicles Guide FordPro_2023 Police & Special Service Vehicles Guide_2023-04-14.pdf Edited December 25, 2023 by ice-capades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 10 hours ago, HotRunrGuy said: Source to support your statement,,,, HRG It’s a truck, it must not be able to handle high speeds ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick73 Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 It has normally been assumed higher center of gravity relative to vehicle width increases probability of roll overs under similar driving or accident conditions. There are probably 100s of studies similar to the one below. If I recall correctly from other studies, not all vehicle types are driven the same because they often attract different types of buyers. In case of police use that may not be as much a factor. “Cars had the lowest barrier rollover percentage (13.1 percent) followed by pickups (29.2 percent) and SUVs (49.8 percent). Likewise, the variation in these estimates varied according to vehicle type, with cars having the smallest and SUVs having largest. Based on the Rao-Scott modified likelihood ratio chi-squared test, a statistically significant difference was found between the barrier crash rollover rates of cars, pickups and SUVs (p = 0.0132).” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256802/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GearheadGrrrl Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 Thanks Rick 73! A pickup will probably do just fine as a gas guzzling patrol car 99% of the time. The problems will come when officers get into heated pursuits and forget or don't know that they shouldn't try to keep up with a Mustang through the corners. Ford probably got brave and pursuit rated the F150 after GM pursuit rated their jacked up 2" more pickup, both will probably be facing billion dollar class action lawsuits for rollover crash injuries and deaths in these trucks in a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRunrGuy Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 16 minutes ago, GearheadGrrrl said: Thanks Rick 73! A pickup will probably do just fine as a gas guzzling patrol car 99% of the time. The problems will come when officers get into heated pursuits and forget or don't know that they shouldn't try to keep up with a Mustang through the corners. Ford probably got brave and pursuit rated the F150 after GM pursuit rated their jacked up 2" more pickup, both will probably be facing billion dollar class action lawsuits for rollover crash injuries and deaths in these trucks in a few years. You don't really think the 2024 F-150 Police Responder is a new idea, do you? They first launched it back in the 2018MY, so there's been 5-6 years to prove the concept. HRG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GearheadGrrrl Posted December 25, 2023 Share Posted December 25, 2023 12 minutes ago, HotRunrGuy said: You don't really think the 2024 F-150 Police Responder is a new idea, do you? They first launched it back in the 2018MY, so there's been 5-6 years to prove the concept. HRG I remember when it was introduced and Ford discouraged using it for pursuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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