Police Vehicle Evaluation Model Year 2007

• NCJ Number: 218236
• Author(s): Gina Rosendall; James Flegel
• Date Published: December 2006
• Length: 126 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2005-MU-CX-K077
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This report presents the results of the Michigan State Police Vehicle Test Team's 2007 model year police vehicle evaluation.

Abstract

Vehicles evaluated were distributed into three categories: police, special service, and motorcycle. The evaluation consisted of four components: vehicle dynamics testing, acceleration, top speed and brake testing, ergonomics and communications evaluation, and fuel economy. Highlights of the results for police vehicles tested (Ford Police Interceptor 2.27, Ford Police Interceptor 3.55, Chevrolet Impala 9C1, Chevrolet Tahoe PPV 2WD E85, Chevrolet Tahoe PPV 2WD, Dodger Charger 3.5L, Dodge Charger 5.7L, Dodge Magnum 3.5L, and the Dodge Magnum 5.7L) include: (1) the vehicle dynamics comparison showed the Chevrolet Tahoe E85 and the Chevrolet Tahoe out performing the other vehicles in 2006 and 2007 and (2) the top speed comparison showed the Dodge Charger 5.7L performed the best in both 2006 and 2007 followed by the Chevrolet Impala. Special service vehicles are not engineered for high speed or pursuit driving. The only area that special service vehicles were not tested in was vehicle dynamics. The special service vehicles tested included the Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, Dodge Magnum 3.5L, Ford Escape 4WD Hybrid, Ford Explorer 2WD, Ford Expedition 2WD, Ford Expedition EL 2WD, and the Ford F-250 Crew Cab 2WD. Motorcycles tested by the Vehicle Test Team included: Harley Davidson Road King, Harley Davidson Electra Glide, and the BMW R1200RTP. Interest in motorcycles for day-to-day patrol was rekindled in 1993. The first Michigan State Police motorcycle test began with the 2007 model year. Because law enforcement motorcycles encounter a variety of surfaces, such as gravel and wet grass, a braking test was developed with substantially different coefficient of friction surfaces. All of the cars and trucks were tested with a clean roof and without "A" pillar mount spotlights. Each vehicle was tested with the tires that are available as original equipment on the production model. Motorcycles were tested with emergency lights, sirens, and other manufacturer equipment. Tables