John G. Stephenson
Images courtesy of Dana Safety Supply
A patrol vehicle is one of the most important pieces of equipment a law enforcement agency will ever purchase. It is also one of the easiest to get wrong.
Today’s police vehicle is no longer simply a sedan, SUV or pickup with a light bar, radio and prisoner partition. It serves as a mobile office, emergency response platform, communications hub, prisoner transport area, equipment storage system, and highly visible symbol of public safety.
That makes the upfitting process more important than many agencies may realize. A poorly planned build can create problems which hang around for years: dead batteries, unreliable electronics, radio interference, awkward equipment placement, reduced visibility, officer discomfort, premature wear, increased downtime, and costly rework. In the worst cases, a bad upfit can affect officer safety.
Fortunately, most of these problems are preventable. Agencies which approach vehicle builds with planning, standardization and input from the people who actually drive, service and manage the fleet can avoid many of the regrets which surface only after the vehicle is already marked, equipped and placed into service.
To provide additional perspective, we spoke with two of the industry’s most experienced vehicle upfitting professionals. David Russo, CEO of Dana Safety Supply, and George Maris, who has spent more than three decades helping law enforcement agencies specify, build and deploy patrol vehicles, oversee the production of more than 27,000 police, fire and fleet vehicles annually. Their experience reinforces many of the planning principles discussed throughout this article.
Plan the Build Before the Vehicle Arrives
One of the most common mistakes is treating the vehicle purchase and the upfit as separate decisions. In reality, they go hand in hand.
The vehicle’s make, model, trim package, powertrain, roof configuration, seating layout, cargo area, alternator capacity, factory police package, wiring provisions, and available mounting points can all influence how it should be equipped. That is why decisions about consoles, partitions, lights, sirens, radios, computers, cameras, storage, weapon locks, graphics, and power management should be considered early in the process. Waiting until after delivery often results in unnecessary compromises.
The better approach is to plan the vehicle as a complete law enforcement platform from the start. One of the costliest mistakes agencies make occurs before the purchase order is ever signed.
“One of the biggest mistakes agencies make is selecting vehicle options before talking with their upfitter,” says Maris. “We regularly see OEM options which don’t work well with aftermarket equipment which can create additional labor costs or leave agencies paying for features which end up being removed or never used. Bringing your upfitter into the conversation early can save both time and money.”
Before the purchase order is signed, the agency should know what the vehicle is expected to do; who will use it; what equipment must be installed; and how that equipment will be powered, mounted, accessed, serviced, and eventually removed.
A general patrol SUV has different requirements than a traffic unit, supervisor vehicle, K-9 vehicle, marine support unit, tactical response vehicle, prisoner transport vehicle, or administrative fleet vehicle. Trying to force every mission into the same configuration can create frustration. At the same time, allowing too many one-off builds can make the fleet harder to maintain, train on and support.
The goal is balance: enough standardization to control cost and simplify operations, with enough flexibility to support specialized assignments.
Standardization Pays Off Every Shift
Fleet standardization is not glamorous, but it is one of the most effective ways to reduce confusion, control costs and improve daily performance.
When patrol vehicles are built in a consistent manner, officers know where critical controls and equipment are located, regardless of which unit they are driving. Fleet personnel can diagnose problems more quickly. By standardizing vehicle builds, agencies make it easier for upfitters to repeat proven designs, stock replacement parts, simplify officer and technician training, complete repairs more quickly, and plan future builds with greater predictability.
The opposite is also true. When every vehicle is slightly different, minor variations become daily frustrations. One unit has the siren controller in one location; another has it somewhere else. One vehicle has a flashlight charger on the console; another has it tucked behind the seat. One rifle lock is accessible from the driver’s seat; another requires the officer to exit the vehicle.
These details may appear minor during planning, but they matter on the street. Officers should not have to hunt for essential controls during an emergency response, traffic stop, vehicle pursuit, or rapidly evolving call.
Standardization also makes it easier to evaluate what works. If an agency changes tires, brakes, lighting patterns, consoles, storage systems, prisoner partitions, seat covers, or power management equipment, consistent builds allow those changes to be measured more effectively across the fleet.
Design from the Officer’s Seat Outward
A police vehicle should be designed around the officer who will spend thousands of hours working from inside it. That makes ergonomics a critical part of the build. The placement of the mobile data terminal, keyboard, radio microphone, siren controller, camera controls, printer, flashlight charger, body camera dock, citation equipment, weapon release, cupholder, and storage compartments should all be carefully considered to ensure everything is accessible, practical and safe to use.
Poor placement can create a long list of problems. Equipment may block climate controls; reduce passenger space; interfere with seat travel; make seatbelt use difficult; or force officers to reach awkwardly while driving. A computer mounted too high can obstruct visibility. A console which is too wide can interfere with officer movement. A weapon lock placed in the wrong location can slow access or create a security concern.
The best time to discover these issues is before the build is finalized.
Agencies should involve patrol officers, supervisors, firearms instructors, fleet managers, radio technicians, IT personnel, and the upfitter early in the process. Having an officer sit in a mock-up or completed pilot vehicle can reveal problems which do not appear in a catalog, spec sheet or installation diagram.
Small adjustments made before full production can prevent years of aggravation.
Do Not Overlook Power Management
Modern patrol vehicles carry a heavy electrical load, with multiple onboard systems and electronic devices all drawing power at the same time. Without proper planning, that demand can quickly strain the vehicle’s electrical system and lead to performance or reliability problems. Adding equipment without a power management plan is asking for trouble.
A weak electrical design can lead to dead batteries, intermittent failures, overheated wiring, blown fuses, inconsistent performance, or mysterious problems which are difficult to diagnose. These issues are especially frustrating because they often appear after the vehicle has entered service and is needed every day.
A quality upfit should include clean wiring, proper circuit protection, reliable connectors, appropriate grounding, labeled circuits, accessible service points, and a power management system designed to protect the vehicle battery. Agencies should also consider idle time; extreme temperatures; and the reality that patrol vehicles often spend long periods parked with lights, radios, computers, cameras, and other systems operating.
Electrical reliability is not just a maintenance concern. If critical equipment fails during a call, traffic stops or emergency response, it becomes an operational concern.
Respect Airbags, Sightlines and Crash Safety
Every piece of equipment mounted inside or outside a police vehicle must coexist with the vehicle’s safety systems.
Improperly installed equipment can interfere with airbags, obstruct visibility, create sharp edges, or become a projectile in a crash. This applies to computers, radios, antennas, partitions, cargo storage, weapon mounts, camera systems, printers, control heads, and other aftermarket accessories.
Particular attention should be paid to side curtain airbag zones, passenger airbag deployment areas, windshield visibility, rearward visibility, seat travel, and driver movement. Equipment should not force officers into poor seating positions or make it more difficult to wear a seat belt properly.
The same principle applies to the cargo area. A poorly secured equipment box, fire extinguisher or other item can become dangerous during sudden braking or a collision. Secure storage is not only about theft prevention; it is also about crash survivability.
The patrol vehicle must remain safe as a vehicle first. The upfit should support the mission without compromising the safety systems built into the platform.
Prisoner Transport Deserves Careful Attention
The prisoner compartment is one of the most heavily used and most abused areas of a patrol vehicle. It should be designed accordingly.
Every element of the prisoner transport area should support officer safety, prisoner security, durability, and ease of maintenance. The space should be secure; easy to search; easy to clean; and designed to reduce opportunities for injury, escape, concealment, or damage.
Agencies should consider how officers actually use the space. Can they safely load and unload a combative prisoner? Can they see into the rear compartment? Is there adequate lighting for nighttime searches? Are seat belts accessible? Can contraband be hidden in seams or gaps? Can bodily fluids be cleaned without damaging the interior? Does the partition provide proper separation while still leaving enough room for the officer?
A prisoner transport system which looks acceptable at delivery may prove inadequate after months of hard use. Feedback from patrol personnel and supervisors is essential.
Storage Should Be Planned, Not Improvised
Police vehicles accumulate gear. If storage is not planned, the cargo area quickly becomes a catchall.
Patrol vehicles must provide secure, organized storage for the equipment officers rely on every day, including long guns, less-lethal tools, medical kits, tire deflation devices, evidence supplies, traffic safety gear, electronics, spare batteries, paperwork, and personal equipment.
The storage system should match the mission. Some items must be quickly accessible. Others must be locked and secured. Some must be protected from heat, weather, dust, or damage. Some should be separated from evidence or prisoner property. Some may need to be accessed from outside the vehicle, while others may need to be reached from the passenger compartment.
Poor storage planning leads to clutter, delay and damaged equipment. It can also create safety problems if heavy or sharp items are unsecured.
A well designed storage system helps officers work faster, protects expensive gear and reduces the chance that critical equipment will be left behind because there was no practical place to carry it.
Think Like the Mechanic
A police vehicle build should not make routine maintenance more difficult than necessary. Fleet mechanics and service providers need access to batteries, fuse panels, wiring, antennas, radios, modems, control modules, lighting components, and other equipment. If critical components are buried behind panels or hidden beneath layers of aftermarket hardware, every repair takes longer.
Downtime is expensive. A patrol vehicle sitting out of service because a technician cannot quickly diagnose or reach a failed component is not helping the agency or the officer who needs it.
Before approving a build, agencies should ask practical questions. Can common components be serviced without disassembling half the vehicle? Are circuits labeled? Are wiring diagrams provided? Are replacement parts available? Who supports the installation after delivery? What happens if equipment fails under warranty? Can the same build be duplicated six months later?
Maris believes an agency should evaluate its upfitting partner with the same level of scrutiny it applies to the vehicle itself. “Don’t choose an upfitter based solely on price,” advises Maris. “Talk to agencies [which] operate fleets similar to yours and ask about their experience. The cheapest option on paper isn’t always the best value when you factor in quality, turnaround times, support, and the long-term reliability of the installation.”
Fleet planning should also account for decommissioning. Equipment may need to be removed, transferred, replaced, or upgraded before the vehicle is sold, reassigned or retired. A clean, organized build makes that process easier.
Tires, Brakes and Wear Items Matter
Police vehicles work hard. They idle for long periods, accelerate quickly, brake heavily, carry extra weight, jump curbs, run over debris, sit in extreme heat and cold, and operate in all weather conditions.
That workload affects tires, brakes, suspension components, batteries, and other wear items. Yet agencies sometimes focus so heavily on the vehicle platform and electronics that they overlook the components which directly affect stopping distance, handling, ride quality, maintenance cost, and day-to-day reliability.
Upfitting adds weight. Partitions, push bumpers, light bars, cargo systems, and other equipment can change how a vehicle performs. Agencies should consider how added weight affects braking, tire wear, fuel economy, suspension performance, and maintenance intervals.
The least expensive replacement part is not always the best value. Tires and brakes are officer safety items. Selecting products suited for police duty can reduce downtime and improve performance under stress.
Avoid the Rushed Build
Many upfitting mistakes begin with a deadline: The agency needs vehicles in service quickly; the budget year is closing; older units are failing; new vehicles arrived late; equipment is backordered; the upfitter is busy; and command staff wants the vehicles deployed. Those pressures are real, but rushing the build can create long-term problems.
Selecting the right equipment is only part of the equation. Agencies should also evaluate whether their upfitter has the capacity to deliver on schedule.
“Your upfitter also needs to have the manpower to complete your contract on schedule,” says Russo. “It’s common for multiple agencies to take delivery of vehicles at the same time. That’s just the nature of our industry. Your upfitter should have the capacity to handle that demand while communicating clearly with you, setting realistic expectations and delivering on the agreed schedule.”
Russo says delays have consequences well beyond simple inconvenience. “For most agencies, the annual vehicle purchase is second only to payroll. It’s a major investment that’s depreciating every day it sits waiting to be upfitted. Every day of delay is one less day of OEM warranty and one less day that vehicle is on the road supporting your agency’s mission.”
A pilot vehicle is one of the best safeguards. Build one unit, inspect it carefully, place it in limited service, gather feedback, and make adjustments before the rest of the fleet is completed. This process may take more time on the front end, but it can prevent expensive mistakes from being repeated across multiple vehicles.
Quality control should also be part of the process. Agencies should inspect wiring, mounting, labeling, lighting performance, siren operation, radio function, computer placement, prisoner compartment security, storage systems, graphics, and overall workmanship before accepting delivery.
Once the vehicle is placed into service, problems become more difficult and more expensive to correct.
Build for the Mission
The best police vehicle upfit is not necessarily the one with the most equipment. It is the one which supports the mission without creating unnecessary problems.
A good build helps officers work safely and efficiently. It gives mechanics a fair chance when something fails. It gives fleet managers consistency and predictability. It gives command staff a better return on investment. Most importantly, it gives the agency a professional, reliable vehicle which can withstand the demands of law enforcement work.
Upfitting without regret requires planning, communication and discipline. It means asking hard questions before equipment is ordered. It means involving the people who will drive, service and manage the vehicle. It means thinking beyond delivery day and considering how the vehicle will perform over years of patrol duty.
A police vehicle is too important to build by habit, guesswork or convenience.
The agencies which get it right understand one simple truth: The upfit is not an accessory to the patrol vehicle. It is what turns the vehicle into a law enforcement tool.