Thanks to the roughly 400 cop shows currently
on television, most of us think we have a pretty good handle on what police work and
the daily life of a cop is like. It usually goes like this: one officer with
incredibly well done hair and make-up talks about a “perp”, her partner answers with
a witty one-liner over a dead body while slowly removing his sunglasses, and then theme music
plays. However, there is a lot about police officers
we really don’t know, starting with the basics: what’s actually in a cop car? What do policemen ride with everyday to help
them do some incredibly difficult work? We sent our world class teams of researchers,
scientists, and engineers to investigate the inner workings of a police car and share our
findings with you. You’ll be amazed at some of the high-tech
gadgets and souped-up rides your friendly neighborhood cop uses almost every day. Imagine you’re a police officer. There you are, sitting in the driver’s side
of your car with your partner next to you. You’re parked on duty near a busy main street,
talking about your family, and drinking kombucha, because you refuse to be a stereotype like
those donut-eating cops. Suddenly a call comes in - but wait, how and
where does it come in? We’ve all seen enough “Law & Order”
episodes to have a general idea of how this works, but what equipment connects you to
both your command center and all the other patrol cars? Well, the communication system installed in
a police car is one of the most important parts of the whole system; the “brain”
of the car. There are special frequency ranges set aside
on VHF and UHF bands for exclusive police radio use. When a dispatcher gets a call on 911 about
an ongoing emergency, they relay it directly to the appropriate police officers using a
two-way radio. This way, you don’t have to rely on T-mobile
for help...a sure way to die in a life-threatening situation. So as you’re sitting in your car slurping
up that last kombucha drop - and for our purposes, let’s say you’re a police officer in California
- you get an incoming call from dispatch for a suspected 502 two blocks away from you. In California, a 502 means drunk driving. You start up the engine and speed away to
the suspected drunk driver’s location. You reach into your equipment console, which
holds your radios and light switches, to flip on your siren switch. The siren starts up, warning other cars to
get out of the way, and alerting the drunk driver that a police car is on his tail. You might be visualizing an ear-piercing wail
right about now, but sirens actually don’t emit just one sound. Different sounds are used for different situations. The loud, grating wail most of us associate
with police sirens is used when police are fast approaching other vehicles, to warn them
to clear the way. In high-traffic situations, you may have heard
a shorter “yelp”-like sound intended to alert nearby vehicles and make them move. Other sounds a policeman may choose to activate
include the warbler, air horn, piercer, and whoop; we swear they are real siren options,
even though they sound like a bird watchers’ convention. In conjunction with the light bar on top of
the car, which flashes - in the US, at least - the classic red and blue lights to warn
others a cop car is approaching, the siren emits sounds at approximately 110-120 decibels. In other words, somewhere between a car horn
and a chainsaw, enough to be heard over even the sickest Jonas Brothers mix playing in
surrounding passenger cars. You’re pretty likely to catch up to your
target quickly, as police vehicles are outfitted with extremely high-performance engines. Most cop cars these days have turbocharged
V6 engines, which allow them to accelerate rapidly while generally maintaining good fuel
economy - an important asset in high-speed pursuits. This comes in handy when you spot the suspected
drunk driver ahead of you, in a car matching the description given to you. In this case, a BMW 3 series because your
suspect is in a mid-life crisis. He is dangerously weaving in and out of lanes
and topping 55 mph in a 30 mph zone. You press down on the gas pedal to catch up
to him, knowing you can easily overtake him, and that even in a drawn out, fast chase your
engine won’t overheat. Why won’t it? Because while passenger cars only have a standard
radiator to cool down an engine, police cars are outfitted with a whole other system. Police engines are often subject to immense
stress from chases, long periods of idling alternating with periods of rapid acceleration
and high-speed driving, and other factors. So cop cars include not only an extra-strength
radiator with a large fan, but also transmission and oil coolers, and often a power steering
cooler, to keep different parts of the car in check. At this point, though you are on the drunk
driver’s tail, he still has not made a motion to pull over, because he’s four Long Island
Iced Teas deep. This is where your communication center can
be converted into a megaphone so you can get your point across. Your radio microphone routes directly to speakers
that are usually included in your siren system. You use your radio to yell out that you are
the police, and the driver needs to pull over. Suddenly, the driver does just that, veering
right and screeching to a halt. Thanks to the special heavy duty brakes on
your car, you instantly slow down and pull over on the shoulder of the road right behind
him. You walk on over to the car and ask the driver,
Brian, for license and registration. Then you run a check on him. Thankfully, you have all the high-tech tools
you need for that right at your disposal. You see, instead of an armrest as you would
find in most cars, cop cars have a swivel mount that usually holds a computer. This computer has access to almost any information
a police officer would need when out in the field. You, the cop in this scenario, can run license
and ID checks, see if someone has outstanding warrants, or even digitally record witness
statements and process other paperwork from your car’s computer. After you run a check on Brian’s license
and ID, you notice he has an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court, after stealing
$600 worth of products from Sharper Image. You get back out of the car, walk over, and
ask him if he’s had anything to drink. He slurs back, “just a beer or two”. You then ask him to slowly step out of his
vehicle and do a walk and turn field sobriety test, to see if you should add a DUI charge
to his growing list of offenses. He proceeds to open the door and immediately
fall out of his vehicle, failing miserably in his attempts to stand up straight again. Almost certain now that Brian is indeed drunk,
you ask him to submit to a breathalyzer test, as, like most cops, you have a portable breathalyzer
with you in your vehicle. After he blows a 0.2, you inform the driver
that he is now under arrest for both an outstanding warrant as well as on suspicion of DUI. Now you have to get a drunk and likely belligerent
man, who is repeatedly asking “do you know who I am?!” back to the station - how can you do this
safely? Well, it’s a good thing your cop car is
basically a portable cell! Unlike the comfortable back seats most people
take a nap on during long road trips, the back seats of a cop car are hard, plastic,
and deliberately cramped. The reason for the seat’s awkward positioning
is to force those in custody to sit very low or in a bent over position, making it harder
for them to attack an officer in the front. The seats are made out of hard plastic to
make clean-up easier, as people in the backseat of a cop car are unfortunately more likely
to expel fluids such as vomit, urine, or blood. You’re especially thankful for the plastic
seats when you put the drunk driver in the back of your car and he immediately throws
up Long Island Iced Teas numbers 3 and 4. As you lock the doors and climb into the front
seat, your drunk back seat passenger starts to get aggressive, trying to reach you in
the front. What is there to stop him? Cop cars have a combination of bulletproof
glass and steel plating installed behind their front seats, in order to protect you and your
partner sitting in the front from unruly passengers, like Brian, in the back. A steel mesh cage is usually in the center
of this bulletproof divide, in order to allow you to communicate with the person under arrest
and ask him to calm down. As you drive away, hoping the inebriated gentleman
in the back quiets down soon, you settle deeper into your seat, which comfortably cushions
you even with your 10 pound duty belt around your waist. How do you comfortably fit a gun, a flashlight,
and a whole lot of other tools hung around your waist in a driver’s seat? Good news: your seat is specially designed
just for you! You and the many, many other cops out there. Though the design varies slightly from car
to car, most front seats in cop cars have a cutout in the lower back so your duty belt
and the weapons on it can squeeze in just fine. After all, your gun can cause enough issues
without also giving you sciatica after a long day of sitting on it. You ride back to the station, drop off and
process Brian, then go back on patrol. As you’re driving along, you get an alert
on the ALPR system. Wait...what’s the ALPR system? Modern police work relies on a lot of high-tech
tools. ALPR, otherwise known as Automated License
Plate Readers, are high-speed, computer operated camera systems mounted on police vehicles
that capture license plates of passing cars. The technology is part of a modern approach
to police work to help reduce crime titled DDACTS, otherwise known as Data-Driven Approach
to Crime and Traffic Safety. The ALPR cameras mounted on cruisers translate
the photos of passing license plates into the plate’s digits, which are then processed
through the car’s laptop. The system flags plates of cars that have
been reported stolen, as belonging to fugitives, or used in the commission of a crime. The cameras also have infrared lighting, so
they can identify license plates in the dark. Before you left the station, you and your
partner did what most officers do: used the station’s Wi-Fi hotspot to download the
most recent database of fugitive warrants, suspended or revoked driver's licenses, stolen
vehicles, criminal databases, and other pertinent “bad guy” information to your car’s
laptop. ALPR cameras on your car have now flagged
the Toyota Prius that passed you, and informed you it was used in the armed robbery of a
check cashing location two days ago. You immediately speed up to follow the eco-friendly
thief, turning your siren back on. However, the Prius’ driver has other plans. He leads you onto the highway in a high-speed
pursuit. Even though you are using your speakers and
siren, the suspect shows no signs of slowing down or heeding instructions, so you know
you’re probably going to have to force him to stop. Because you don’t want to put bystanders
in danger, you try to limit any dangerous maneuvers or accelerations until both you
and the suspect’s car are in an emptier location. This is when you decide to use your brand
new, super high-tech StarChase system for the first time. The StarChase system, retrofitted onto your
front grill, costs around $5,000 but highly decreases the need for high-speed, risky pursuits. It fires a two and a half inch projectile
GPS trackers to latch onto the vehicle you’re pursuing. This allows you and other police officers
to track the suspect and corner them in a more secure, empty location, rather than endangering
bystanders or executing dangerous maneuvers on a crowded highway. Thanks to the StarChase system, you hold back
until other officers have been alerted to the situation and have the highway cleared
of traffic. Back-up is on its way, but for now you have
your PIT, or push, bumper to help you stop the suspect’s car immediately. PIT stands for Pursuit Intervention Technique,
more simply known as ramming a car you’re chasing to stop it. The push bumper is a bumper attached to the
front of a cop car, intended to help execute this special maneuver. First, you line up your front bumper just
behind the back tire of the suspect’s fleeing vehicle. Then you gently nudge the back of the suspect’s
car, before turning into it and accelerating to cause the pursued car to spin out to a
stop. The Prius spins out, and you turn back to
pull up alongside the stopped car. You step out and look over to the suspect’s
vehicle to see that the driver isn’t moving. Luckily, you have first aid equipment in the
trunk of your car for exactly this situation. You open up your car’s trunk, which in addition
to storing your gun locker with a shotgun inside, also has a portable defibrillator,
bulletproof vests, and a first aid kit, which you pull out. Your partner is already by the Prius, noting
down details about the suspect’s car and taking photos. With no one in the police car, you have to
keep the power to your communications on and lights running for a while until you deal
with this mess. This is why your cop car comes equipped with
a run lock ignition. The run lock ignition allows you to keep your
car engine running without the key even being in the ignition, so all your electronic systems
can remain functional and online while you attend to an accident scene, crime scene,
or otherwise deal with witnesses and suspects. As you approach the suspect’s vehicle with
the first aid kit you realize...the suspect’s gone! Also, your partner is a terrible cop. You look back towards your car to see that
the suspect snuck over and is now getting into the driver’s seat to attempt to steal
your car and drive away. Since your engine is still running, this seems
like it might be easy for him, but in fact, it’s almost impossible to steal a cop car. The run lock ignition, the same one that allows
the engine to run without you being in the car, immediately cuts power to the engine
when someone touches the car brake or parking brake. As this criminal who seems committed to incredibly
poor life choices tries to steal a cop car and drive away in it, he disengages the parking
brake and the engine dies as he looks around, clueless. Even if you had left your parking brake off,
thanks to run lock ignition, the cop car actually can’t be driven away until the keys you’re
holding are re-inserted. You pull your gun out, aim it at the criminal,
and approach him. He doesn’t know it, but the fact that he’s
sitting behind your police car door is actually a major advantage to him. You see, you have one of the rarer police
vehicles in the US outfitted with bulletproof doors. The exterior is made of ballistic tile to
fragment incoming bullets, and the layer underneath is made up of the same polymer used in Kevlar
vests, known as aramid fiber. The doors are so effectively bulletproof that
they can stop bullets shot at mid range from an AK-47. However, since this criminal doesn’t seem
too knowledgeable or bright so far, he steps out of the car scared and you handcuff and
arrest him. After you put him into the back seat of your
car, using a remote lock to make sure the back doors are secure, you get back in and
head to the station. Luckily, even though it’s been a pretty
busy day where you’ve been using your lights, radio and sirens a lot, you’ve got a special
high capacity alternator to handle it. Since your car consumes a lot more energy
than a normal passenger car, the usual 100 amps of power a regular car can handle won’t
cut it for you. Your alternator can generate up to 225 amps
of power to make sure you can blare your siren, talk on your radio, flash your lights, and
run your laptop all at once, while you hear your backseat guest proclaim he’s innocent
and “didn’t do it” and “it’s not what it looks like”. After you return to the station, you’re
thankful for another day in which your cop car helped keep you safe. Now discover more facts about how different
things in our world work. Click this video here for another cool story,
or check this one out instead!
