The evolution of law enforcement patrol vehicles never seems to slow, and there seems to be a race between the vehicles themselves and the equipment that gets mounted on or in them for which will evolve faster. For that very reason, we do our best to keep you informed on the evolution of both and how they work synergistically together. In this Vehicle & Fleet Supplement, we’re also focusing on some of the not-so-common vehicles: Mobile Command Posts, Motorcycles, and Armored Personnel Carriers. In this supplement, either directly here in print OR exclusively on our dedicated section on Officer.com, you’ll find information about the following topics in addition to those mentioned:
Technology at Your Fingertips
Articles in the 2019 Vehicles & Fleet Supplement Include:
• What Officers Need to Know About Mounting & Storing Firearms in the Patrol Vehicle
• The Myths of Armored Personnel Carriers in Special Operations
• Are Motorcycles Still Applicable for Law Enforcement Use?
• Technology at Your Fingertips
Think about all the gizmos and gadgets you touch each day as you perform your duties. This includes everything from your radio to your laptop to your bodycam and more. Remember that not all “technology” is electronic. Think about the material and weave of your body armor or the lining in your gloves and boots that provide you protection. Think about the ballistic and polarized lenses in your eyewear. All of these things are technology and they help you perform to a higher level of efficiency (not to mention safety).
Firearms Mounting & Storage for Your Patrol Vehicle
This article takes a look at the variety of mounting/storage options for long guns in patrol vehicles and what considerations impact the choices. Depending on the vehicle, the locale and the type of firearm(s) being carried along with how fast they may need to be accessed, the method of storing and securing them could be a wide variety. Electric release locking mount for the shotgun on the passenger side of the transmission hump? Yep. Electric release locking gun rack for an M4 on the front of the prisoner transport cage? Yep. Barrel down double mount for shotgun AND rifle on the passenger floorboard? Yep. Good old fashion rifle rack in the back window? Yep. It all depends on need and agency policy and those policies vary a great deal dependent on setting, population, and politics.
Between those two articles and the look we take at Mobile Command Posts, Armored Personnel Carriers and the specialty use of Motorcycles for a variety of purposes today, you ought to find something both informative and of interest in this supplement.
We appreciate comment and feedback. Please feel free to send such to [email protected].
Lt. Frank Borelli (ret.)
