Magnum Police Package?

[HwyCruiser]

Lifted this off cvn:

'Excuse Me Officer, That Thing Gotta HEMI(R)?' (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/06-24-2004/0002199242&EDATE=)

The blitz continues...

- JD

[Constable]

I was JUST going to post this!!

I heard about it on CNN today. All my co-workers are going nuts over it. We were flipping through catalogs today trying to fantasize about the perfect setup for a Magnum on patrol.

I think these will absolutely kick a$$ for K9 cars and SWAT cars. My team has a bunch of SWAT trucks and support vehicles, but two of our everyday patrol cars are designated as "SWAT cars". They are only driven by team members and they contain all sorts of MP5's, M4's, M16's, sniper rifles, flak jackets, explosives, etc... The poor CVPI's are dragging their tails with all that weight. The Magnum should provide the extra storage room, suspesion strength, and power that we need.

I just can't wait to finally have another patrol car that I can lay rubber in!! I miss my LT1 Caprice!!!

[RCSignals]

a dog car is what I was thinking too.
I can't really see a Magnum as a regular patrol car. a Tahoe either.
Once again, Chrysler and General Motors are half hearted in their Police offerings. The only US manufacturer to consistently and continually offer a Police patrol vehicle is Ford.
Ford was also the first with specialised equipment for Police, offering a high compression head, high output generator, spotlight, high speed rear gears, and heavy duty interior on model As. (most were roadsters, better to "hear" all from :) )

[TripleTransAm]

Around these parts, Chevy had the market cornered in the 80s and 90s. Then it was a mixture of those silly minivans, the FWD Wimpalas and the Panther Police Interceptors / Crown Vics. So, it just goes to show that nothing is forever. We'll just have to see if Chrysler manages to do it right, now that they're back in the RWD game.

If I hadn't bought the Marauder, I would have been aiming squarely for the Magnum... healthy numbers, lots of space to throw the guitars and amps into the back, interesting styling...

[Krytin]

Can't help but notice, once again, that it seems eveyone else knows how to market/advertise their performance oriented cars EXCEPT L/M!

[Bradley G]

I sat in a wagon at my towns weekly (summer)car show. This vehicle has some appeal (looks) but unfortunatly it ends there. I tried to tilt the steering wheel the whole mechanism is pure junk !! Controls were thoughtless seat was hard ,visibility very poor. not good use of interior space. Cargo area, What's going on there? Chrysler better get a big fat government contract.:censor:

[martyo]

Stanley and Stella like the Magnum as a service vehicle!

[CRUZTAKER]

I was within inches of buying one of these! The Marauder was my first choice, and when the time to buy arose, the Magnum was not yet in production.

I have started to see non-hemi versions on the road, and still like them as the car that almost came to be.

[Petrograde]

I was within inches of buying one of these! The Marauder was my first choice, and when the time to buy arose, the Magnum was not yet in production.

Me too,.... a few weeks ago. :eek: However, I came to my senses.

I would've had to get the Hemi,... of course.

I would've taken a bath on the trade in.

What the hell was I thinking? :help:

[marauder307]

Or "Soap Box Time", if you prefer.

While I won't dispute that the CVPI makes a fine LEO vehicle, even for all its virtues (spacious enough, big trunk for carrying shift gear, stout construction with full body frame, strong engine/trans...the list goes on), it still isn't perfect.

While on duty with the Coast Guard Reserve, I've seen a number of guys show up for their drill weekends in their cruisers. I've had a chance to examine the cockpit of a standard-issue cruiser (legitimately folks, not from the back seat!), and I'm pretty disappointed. Allow me to elaborate....

Nothing looks like it's really supposed to be there. The cage is obviously bolted in, and in cars that have been out a while (longer than 6 mos-1 year; long time for a cruiser), the cage mounts look kinda weak. It appears to be standard practice for vehicles to have an aftermarket mount bolted to the driveshaft tunnel, right through the carpeting, for a laptop; this isn't a place where bolts are supposed to go. And the laptops themselves tend to be underpowered, and there's no real connectivity to the "big computers" back at the station---you know, the ones with the arrest/warrant histories, that y'all really need to get the job done? The mounts tend to get weak and flimsy after a while; I've seen a few laptops where the officer has gotten fed up with the worn-out mount and just tossed the computer onto the seat next to them. In one instance with a St. Petersburg (FL) cruiser, the officer actually had velcroed a normal computer keyboard (connected to his laptop) right to the center of his steering wheel, cord and all! I never did figure out how he made turns with it...

The seats are standard CV seats; okay if you're an elderly couple heading to the coast for a vacation, but for officers carrying equipment belts loaded with holsters, ammo/spray/ASP/cuff pouches, and Maglights, it's pretty tough to get comfortable in there, especially if you're tooling around an urban environment for 8 hours or more. The seatbelt can still be fastened, but it's a pain in the a.s.s., and usually officers will whip that Maglight out and put it on the seat or wedge it between the sections of the front bench.

Weapons storage becomes a problem too. Generally speaking, officers look like they carry, in addition to standard-issue sidearms, a shotgun. I've seen a few folks with M-4s, although they did let on that this was SWAT issue and not for ordinary patrolmen. Most shotguns I've seen are either clipped into mounts bolted to the floor and dash (becomes an additional problem if you've got the aforementioned laptop installed), or to the ceiling. This becomes a problem because the cage blocks the way. Some folks have special cutout areas in the cage, but this presents two problems: possible access by suspects, which LEOs REALLY don't want, and a delay in accessing the weapon by officers, while they yank it out of the mounts to go after somebody.

What's my point here? Well, quite simply, this country needs to start purpose-building police cars. We can purpose build fire trucks. We can purpose build ambulances. We can even purpose build hearses, fr'cryin' out loud. So why can't we purpose build a LEO vehicle?

The CVPI is really good, but even with FOMOCO's modifications, it still isn't wholly built for the job. This new Magnum won't really be, either. Worse still, these CVPIs are available to the general public, which takes away the LEO's advantage. Any scum-bum with money can saunter into a Ford dealership and spec out a CV to PI standards and they'll have a vehicle that can outrun, outmaneuver, and generally outdrive the good guys; if they get a decent enough driver, they will. Even the time-honored maxim of "They can't outrun a Motorola" won't be enough to stop them.

Second post coming up...

[marauder307]

So what does my "dream cruiser" look and act like?

Well, let's start with the body work. Forget sheetmetal; I wanna see composite panels (lighter construction) reinforced with Kevlar and internally braced (debris/bullet resistant, and strong enough to PIT somebody without trashing your own vehicle in the process). If they do get trashed---and in LE work, they probably will---they oughta be easy to replace with minimal turnaround time. Most LE vehicles these days---if they're wrecked badly enough to be removed from service, they'll be out for weeks, maybe even months. And then, when and if they are returned to service, they're not at 100%. 4-door sedan type body; folks in FL who were running the Mustang 5.0s noted that they were fast, but if you had to transport somebody it became a logistical problem. So 4-dr it is.

Drivetrain: probably standard-issue Ford. I'm hearing that GM's 5.7L aren't really up to snuff these days, valvetrain and oil leakage problems. By contrast, the 4.6L dual-cammer engines still seem to be running strongly, and the advanced versions of the engines are capable of 320hp from the factory.
The 5.4 would be good, but it's hard to run down bad guys when you're constantly at the gas pump. So 4.6L it is. (Maybe save the Ford GT's 5.4 for a special interceptor edition?) Bigger trans coolers---bigger than you get now---for the trans, and the MM's 3.55 rear end. Needs to be limited to 3.55s, because I wanna see some top-end capability. MMX driveshaft.

Brakes need to be minimum 14" cross-drilled rotors all the way 'round, with carbon-fiber/Kevlar pads. These things will be working hard, I don't want to see any warped rotors.

Electronics/LE lighting: Cockpit needs to be kept clean, so modify a Pioneer AVIC-1C to work as a sort of PDA, complete with fold-away keyboard. Make sure that there is a high level of connectivity (wireless? satellite?) to the main station. This oughta take care of the laptop issue, and the LEOs won't be forced to wait around out in the field for critical information. LE lights should be integrated into the bodywork to reduce drag, and maintain the standard blue-red signature. Also integrate "alley lights" into the roofline and sides.

Other stuff: Tires and fuel tank should be self-sealing. Maybe investigate producing a new brand of high-speed run-flats; ordinarily you can get one or the other but not both. Self-sealing fuel tanks have been around since WW2, used on aircraft. Just adapt the technology.

Were all this possible, I think a lot more LEOs would make it home at the end of shift...

Done with "high horse" now....thanks for reading. :cool:

[Sactown]

Bring back the Diplomat! :up:

[SHERIFF]

The seats are standard CV seats; okay if you're an elderly couple heading to the coast for a vacation, but for officers carrying equipment belts loaded with holsters, ammo/spray/ASP/cuff pouches, and Maglights, it's pretty tough to get comfortable in there, especially if you're tooling around an urban environment for 8 hours or more. The seatbelt can still be fastened, but it's a pain in the a.s.s., and usually officers will whip that Maglight out and put it on the seat or wedge it between the sections of the front bench.




Very few Police Interceptors have the bench seat. Most have pretty sturdy and comfortable bucket seats. There's a lot of debate about the comfort, but I think the bucket seats are very comfortable!

[RCSignals]

Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by marauder307

The seats are standard CV seats; okay if you're an elderly couple heading to the coast for a vacation, but for officers carrying equipment belts loaded with holsters, ammo/spray/ASP/cuff pouches, and Maglights, it's pretty tough to get comfortable in there, especially if you're tooling around an urban environment for 8 hours or more. The seatbelt can still be fastened, but it's a pain in the a.s.s., and usually officers will whip that Maglight out and put it on the seat or wedge it between the sections of the front bench.


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>




Very few Police Interceptors have the bench seat. Most have pretty sturdy and comfortable bucket seats. There's a lot of debate about the comfort, but I think the bucket seats are very comfortable!
Of course a CVPI can be ordered with a bench seat, but the standard bucket seats of the CVPI are not at all the same as anything available in the civilian cars.
CVPIs have special very durable and hard wearing cloth, cutouts for pistols/holsters, etc.

[woaface]

Bring back the Diplomat! :up:We drove one of those 13 years ago! Yeah right before we moved up to the Reliant.

I'm sure most districts will still use vics and caprices. But this is definitely the car for the serious work. Like when SC Troopers whip out their M5 BMW or the number of Camaro's they have.

[marauder307]

Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by marauder307

The seats are standard CV seats; okay if you're an elderly couple heading to the coast for a vacation, but for officers carrying equipment belts loaded with holsters, ammo/spray/ASP/cuff pouches, and Maglights, it's pretty tough to get comfortable in there, especially if you're tooling around an urban environment for 8 hours or more. The seatbelt can still be fastened, but it's a pain in the a.s.s., and usually officers will whip that Maglight out and put it on the seat or wedge it between the sections of the front bench.


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>




Of course a CVPI can be ordered with a bench seat, but the standard bucket seats of the CVPI are not at all the same as anything available in the civilian cars.
CVPIs have special very durable and hard wearing cloth, cutouts for pistols/holsters, etc.


I shall stand corrected. The ones that I saw (specifically in Ft. Lauderdale, with FTLPD, and St. Petersburg with STPPD) had the split bench/folddown armrests. The STPPD one looked especially beat up...Word is that STP is a tough gig...

[HwyCruiser]

After looking this over for awhile...

If the Magnum came out with an AWD option, my wife's Escape would be history. Oh, wait a minute...

- JD

[David Morton]

Can't help but notice, once again, that it seems eveyone else knows how to market/advertise their performance oriented cars EXCEPT L/M!Yeah, well, I don't need any advertising to help me through the day. Matter of fact I kinda like people doing the "roll the window down" charades at the light and hearing them say, "Hey, what the health are you running under that hood?"

Plus a few cops that give me that knowing eye.

I know what they're thinking, "He better not try anything cause he'll never outrun my Motorola." :D

[Constable]

Marauder307 - I must disagree with you on almost every topic you discussed about the CVPI.

You must have had a run-in with some completely half-a$$ed car, because all of the CVPI's in my area, even my county, are outfitted very well. The computer mounts use existing holes for the seat brackets. They don't add any non-essential bolts to the trans tunnel and they are in no way flimsy. The laptops are fully networked and have ALMOST the same amount of access to records as our dispatch terminals do. I can actually do MORE work FASTER in my car than I can in headquarters.

The shotguns generally mount in the trunk and can sometimes be found mounted vertically against the cage between the seats. Some departments around here carry them above their heads against the cage horizontally. Any of these three configurations are great. The in-cabin designs offer quick access to a great combat weapon. The trunk mounts are my favorite, though. I like the extra room to stretch out (I'm a tall drink of water!). But, in no way do prisoners EVER have any chance of getting at these babies. #1 - the cage does it's job. Their grubby lil fingers can't get past it. #2 - the shotguns lock into place and can only be removed when you either tap a "secret" button and wait for the time delay or if you override it with a handcuff key.

The interiors are great. They offer tons of room for all different sized police officers. The seats are NOT standard CV seats. The fabric is very durable and there are special notches in the seats for your holster. The seats on '03 & '04 CVPI's are pretty much identical to our MM's... they're just not leather. Same adjustability, same headrest, power lumbar, and just about the same bolstering. The cage that comes from Ford is pretty nice, no problems at all. My old '03 had one. My new ride uses an aftermarket cage that is VERY secure and doubles as a roll bar in the event of a crash.

As far as storage space for firepower goes: We have roll-out gun lockers mounted to the shelf in the trunk (just under the package tray). M4's, MP5's, night vision, thermal imaging cameras, you name it we have it in a CVPI.

As far as the public buying them: NOT. The only way they can get their hands on them is USED. In order to buy a CVPI new, you need a purchase order from a legit organization and you need to be buying from a fleet dealer.

Any scum-bum with money can saunter into a Ford dealership and spec out a CV to PI standards and they'll have a vehicle that can outrun, outmaneuver, and generally outdrive the good guys Someone in a MAZDA can outrun and out-maneuver a CVPI. That's the ONE drawback I see in the car and you didn't even mention it. It's underpowered (on the low end), the stock CVPI brakes can't handle the job, and the trans shifts like slush.

PERFECT PATROL CAR: CVPI rolling chasis with a 9C1 drivetrain.

All the things you mentioned that were "inadequate" were great. You failed to touch on the performance issue. Not picking on you at all, but you posted a whole lotta jabber that was really inaccurate.

[RCSignals]

Marauder307 - I must disagree with you on almost every topic you discussed about the CVPI.

You must have had a run-in with some completely half-a$$ed car, because all of the CVPI's in my area, even my county, are outfitted very well. The computer mounts use existing holes for the seat brackets. They don't add any non-essential bolts to the trans tunnel and they are in no way flimsy. The laptops are fully networked and have ALMOST the same amount of access to records as our dispatch terminals do. I can actually do MORE work FASTER in my car than I can in headquarters.

The shotguns generally mount in the trunk and can sometimes be found mounted vertically against the cage between the seats. Some departments around here carry them above their heads against the cage horizontally. Any of these three configurations are great. The in-cabin designs offer quick access to a great combat weapon. The trunk mounts are my favorite, though. I like the extra room to stretch out (I'm a tall drink of water!). But, in no way do prisoners EVER have any chance of getting at these babies. #1 - the cage does it's job. Their grubby lil fingers can't get past it. #2 - the shotguns lock into place and can only be removed when you either tap a "secret" button and wait for the time delay or if you override it with a handcuff key.

The interiors are great. They offer tons of room for all different sized police officers. The seats are NOT standard CV seats. The fabric is very durable and there are special notches in the seats for your holster. The seats on '03 & '04 CVPI's are pretty much identical to our MM's... they're just not leather. Same adjustability, same headrest, power lumbar, and just about the same bolstering. The cage that comes from Ford is pretty nice, no problems at all. My old '03 had one. My new ride uses an aftermarket cage that is VERY secure and doubles as a roll bar in the event of a crash.

As far as storage space for firepower goes: We have roll-out gun lockers mounted to the shelf in the trunk (just under the package tray). M4's, MP5's, night vision, thermal imaging cameras, you name it we have it in a CVPI.

As far as the public buying them: NOT. The only way they can get their hands on them is USED. In order to buy a CVPI new, you need a purchase order from a legit organization and you need to be buying from a fleet dealer.
Someone in a MAZDA can outrun and out-maneuver a CVPI. That's the ONE drawback I see in the car and you didn't even mention it. It's underpowered (on the low end), the stock CVPI brakes can't handle the job, and the trans shifts like slush.

PERFECT PATROL CAR: CVPI rolling chasis with a 9C1 drivetrain.

All the things you mentioned that were "inadequate" were great. You failed to touch on the performance issue. Not picking on you at all, but you posted a whole lotta jabber that was really inaccurate.
All true, except the ( '03 especially) CVPI handles quite well, performed stellar in the pursuit driving tests for the msp trials, and the '04 engine performance was said to be on par with the old LT1 equipped Caprice.
I find the brakes to be good as well. (at least they don't catch fire like some others)

Many cars may be faster than a Police car, but the extra cooling , oil coolers, etc, usually ensure they can outrun most anything.

[jerrym3]

Local Ford dealer in Hackensack NJ has a new Police Interceptor CV for sale alongside some Mach1's and TBirds.

I read the equipment list on the sticker, and the one item that stuck with me was the "rear seat power window delete."

I could swear that the front seats were two individual seats, but maybe I didn't look close enough.

White, black wheels with very small caps covering the lugs, spotlight, black paint between the rear tail lights, and "police interceptor" emblem next to the left rear light. I think it listed in the 24K range.

[Constable]

All true, except the ( '03 especially) CVPI handles quite well, performed stellar in the pursuit driving tests for the msp trials, and the '04 engine performance was said to be on par with the old LT1 equipped Caprice.

Handling is better than it used to be, but ti's still not where it should be.

Engine performance is WAY off mark. The new-for-'04 250hp motor doesn't do much. My old 239hp '03 with 75,000 miles on it accelerates faster... and the '04 has 3.55's!!

[SHERIFF]

As far as the public buying them: NOT. The only way they can get their hands on them is USED. In order to buy a CVPI new, you need a purchase order from a legit organization and you need to be buying from a fleet dealer.




That's the way FORD wants it, and generally the way it is. But there are several exceptions to the rule. First, if a brand new POLICE INTERCEPTOR is damged in transit, it is repaired and sold to the public. The damage can be anywhere from a $25 paint chip to a $700 or up dent. If the fleet buyer refuses the car, it is sold to a FORD dealer and then becomes for sale to the public. Second, if a county or city orders 125 POLICE INTERCEPTORS, but only take 115 when they are manufactured 4 to 6 months later due to budget changes, the remaining 10 are sold to FORD dealerships, who in turn sell them to the public.

Crystal Ford ( http://www.trycrystal.com/ ) in Silver Spring, Maryland just got a beautiful 2004 POLICE INTERCEPTOR in with the "street appearance package", which means it doesn't have all the macho black out treatment and spotlights. Where did it come from? They have to disclose this information to the buying public when it is sold. It could be anything. A cancelled fleet perhaps. A slightly damaged car at one point in time. But it's still "brand new", even though they are called "used" in order to sell them to the public. This particular one has 19 miles on it.

http://images.getauto.com/vehicles/2FAF/2FAFP71WX4X143990-a.jpg

Crystal FORD also has a 2004 white in stock with 93 miles on it.

Another volume seller of "Brand New" POLICE INTERCEPTORS is Maiback FORD in Orville, Ohio. They currently have a 2004 on eBaY. They always have one on eBaY at any given time almost.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2483146066&category=6227

http://cartemplate.com/tmp/p632230293707031250.jpg

As I said..... yes.... they are sold as USED CARS........ but they are technically still brand new cars sold to the public.

[marauder307]

Now fellas....not every department has it as good as you do.

Sheriff: I'd hazard a guess that your first listing was probably intended as either a detective's car or for a captain. The lack of certain equipment would indicate that...the second was probably as you indicated: a scratch-and-dent case that found it's way to the dealer lot.

Constable: Easy man, I'm on your side! I'll explain a little bit. The vehicles that led me to my conclusions were primarily in FL; to be specific, Ft. Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, and Daytona Beach. I've seen a few around my hometown of Montgomery, AL, as well. (On a side note, MPD used to be pretty tight, until Emory Folmar got voted out of office. They've slipped in the last few years; not so badly as to degrade service, but you can still tell they've faded back a bit.) I've noticed your location is somewhere in Jersey; by Jersey Shore, I'd guess up anywhere from Atlantic City to Barnegat or Cape May to the south. Departments up there tend to actually spend money on their equipment; certainly sounds like it from your description. I know one guy from Lee County SWAT (just outside Tampa) that would drool shamelessly over your ride. St. Pete in particular tends to take a chintzy approach to their LE; the vehicle I saw (this was in 2001) was probably 2 years old, tops; looked like it had been through a war, and the officer I talked to (a fellow reservist with my Coast Guard unit) said that it wasn't getting replaced anytime soon. I had occasion to see the FTLPD's vehicles while on TDY down there from Feb-May 2002. Less worn than St. Pete, but as I said in my earlier post, nothing looked like it was actually part of the car. It was a couple of these vehicles that led me to my thoughts about the laptops.

I'll stand by my comments on the seats (well...not absolutely), especially after seeing the newer models listed in Sheriff's post.

You got me on my lack of comment about horsepower, but I will say in my own defense that I did mention using the tweaked versions of the 4.6 for my dream cruiser...

Do not take my commentary to mean that we should all just push the CVPIs into the scrap heap. They're still the best thing we've got. I would suggest by my comments, however, that we can still do better.

Let me just say this as well: My profession (I'm outing myself here) is imagery analyst. I make judgement calls---OFTEN---based only on what I can see ; when I see stuff like what I've described, what other conclusion can I possibly come to?

Believe what you will...but I'm actually rooting for you guys. It bothers me no end when I see the good guys being outpaced by the bad, and I'd like to see that changed. In my time with the Coast Guard, I've been on the pursuing end of at least one long-running chase that ended in frustration because our weary aged CG cutter couldn't keep pace with the dugout canoe sporting a 225hp outboard. (It was off Brownsville, TX, many years ago now...) So believe me, I'm very sympatico here.

Out here.

[Constable]

the vehicle I saw (this was in 2001) was probably 2 years old, tops; looked like it had been through a war, and the officer I talked to (a fellow reservist with my Coast Guard unit) said that it wasn't getting replaced anytime soon.

For lack of better words, that sucks. We keep our cars in the fleet for 4 years or 140,000 miles... whichever comes first. That's an INSANE amount of time. Believe it or not - the cars are just as reliable at the end of their service as they were brand new. We take care of our cars because our lives depend on them.

Sorry if I came off as being offended... that wasn't the case.

[RCSignals]

Handling is better than it used to be, but ti's still not where it should be.

Engine performance is WAY off mark. The new-for-'04 250hp motor doesn't do much. My old 239hp '03 with 75,000 miles on it accelerates faster... and the '04 has 3.55's!!
It's quite possible that all the equipment you are carrying throws the handling a "curve". Although I think they "equip" the cars for the MSP tests.

I haven't personally driven an '04, however it is the one equipped with 3.55 specifically that performed (according to reports) as I stated previous. I'd think you should feel a difference on the positive side at a minimum.

I guess we'll see what the future brings with Ford.