NCJ Number
185821
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 27 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2000 Pages: 52-57
Editor(s)
Ronnie Paynter
Date Published
November 2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Dodge vehicles used as police test mules in the Michigan State Police (MSP) tests in September 2000 outperformed Ford and Chevrolet police sedans on some tests. The Dodge vehicles are not marketed to law enforcement, although in the future they might take back some of the police business that Chrysler lost in the 1990’s.
Abstract
Dodge introduced its first police package in 1956; Plymouth released a police package in 1957. Eighty percent of all police cars in the 1970’s were Plymouth. Dodge and Plymouth left the police market when they dropped the Diplomat and Gran Fury in mid-1989. However, Dodge entered its 1998 Durango in the MSP tests in 1997 and had three test mules at the MSP tests of 2001 models. These three test mules were a 3.5 liter Intrepid, a 4.7 liter Durango two-wheel drive, and a 5.9 liter Durango 4x4. The MSP acceleration and top speed tests were a clear win for the Intrepid. The road course times confirm how promising the Intrepid is. The MSP tests reveal that Dodge is serious about making a comeback in the police market, although the timing of the comeback remains to be seen. Photographs