Saturday, December 06, 2008

top gear

Just finished watching a very interesting television piece about a new type of police patrol car, the Carbon Motors E7 which bills itself as the world’s first purpose-built police car. Moved via a green biodiesel powered engine, this Dodge Charger twin can come with a long list of options like armored front doors and dashboards (capable of deflecting a 9mm bullet) and three hundred sixty looking cameras, some of them operating in the infrared mode while others are optically scanning (and automatically checking) the license plates of parked cars the car passes.

Instead of starting with the standard Crown Vics, Chevy Tahoes and Ford Mustangs and adding on aftermarket light bars, sirens, computers and monitors, this company (started by former Ford Motor Company execs) aims to deliver a high performance, build for the ground up patrol vehicle for about the same price as those models currently on the road. The theory, it seems, is that by standardizing the installation process for the various options across the entire country they will achieve the 'economy of scale' that each individual department or even state can not. The fact that it looks like a cross between something seen in Blade Runner and Robocop only makes it seem all the cooler and possibly more of a deterrent.

Of course, the car that delivers the officer to the scene is only one part of the equation. The driver him or herself should also has be equally well equipped because most of the time the men and women who are that thin blue line will not be in a car but on the side of the road and walking up to the offender's car. Which is why the brand of holsters, Surefire Flashlights, eye-wear and even their shoes and pants can make all the difference and that is why LA Police Gear strives to carry a massive inventory to ensure that 'sorry' is something that they rarely ever have to say to a customer.

Cops know that every part of their kit can be make or break in a situation that no doubt would curl my civilian hair. We expect them to come when we call 911, shouldn't they have gear that lives up to that same expectation?

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

dead or alive, you're coming with me!

10:26 AM  

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