Welcome To Our Law Enforcement Patrol Vehicles Supplement

It truly doesn’t matter what rank you are or how big your agency is or isn’t: If you wear a uniform and drive a law enforcement patrol vehicle (LEPV) day in and day out on the job, you eventually build a partnership of sorts with your vehicle. It may sound odd to those new to the profession or for someone who’s never done the job, but for the folks in uniform who spend eight to 12 hours per day in the same vehicle, they can attest to the reality of the statement. This may be different if your agency uses pool cars exclusively. This may be different if you work a plain clothes assignment and spend a lot less time in your assigned vehicle. But if you work patrol or even a specialty assignment like K-9 or SWAT you find yourself necessarily attached to your assigned LEPV.

If that’s you, you can answer questions about a wide variety of related topics as they describe or indicate the capabilities of your LEPV—for sure you can rattle off the year, make and model of the vehicle and (more than likely) the engine size, whether or not the suspension has been upgraded and what your fuel efficiency is (even if that part is said with a sad look on your face). You can discuss the markings, the emergency equipment, what the ergonomics of the controls are (even if you don’t call them that) and more. For sure you know what the lighting equipment is, what the variations of siren are and what’s in the trunk. Hopefully you know where each piece of equipment in the trunk is, how to access it quickly when needed and have ensured that it’s secured in a sufficient fashion.

The kicker is this: If you’re the fleet maintenance supervisor who has to plan it all; if you’re the lieutenant in charge of researching equipment or safety; if you’re the captain who has to write up the orders for the chief’s signature; if you’re any of those folks, you still need to know all the same information. It’s imperative you consider all the ramifications of what goes in or on a selected patrol vehicle. It may seem a big statement, but it’s true—no detail is too small when it comes to how your LEPV is marked and equipped. The markings impact safety and speak to your agency image. The equipment literally empowers (or not) how your officers can do the job.

Hopefully the information in this supplement helps you become more thorough and informed as you make all the requisite decisions. Keep your officers safe, your agency professional and your vehicles ready for both.

Stay safe.

Lt. Frank Borelli,  

Serving since 1982