The Wheels of Justice

Sergeant James Post STOPPING THE BAD GUYS IN THEIR TRACKS Ever since the wild, wild west (and earlier), the bad guys have run from the good guys. Since then, we’ve been trying to figure out how to stop them before they hurt innocent citizens or one of us. Of course, we’ve always had firearms available to us, but those have been pretty much ineffective at stopping moving objects from stagecoaches to Challenger Hellcats. Fleeing felons on horseback or Ninja crotch…

Sergeant James Post TRANSPORTATION 2019 P&SN presents its 21st annual report on the latest technical advances in police vehicles, components and aftermarket equipment. Welcome to our annual transportation issue which covers all that’s new in LE transportation as gleaned from national events like the IACP Conference, National Sheriffs’ Association Annual Conference, Police Fleet Expo, and the annual Michigan State Police (MSP) vehicle evaluations. This year, we’ve rearranged a couple of sections to provide you with a faster, easier review. Our…

Sergeant James Post A CONDENSED HISTORY OF POLICE CAR ENGINES PART TWO This is the second part of our retrospective covering police car engines starting in 1932 when Henry Ford’s first V-8 appeared. We’ve covered other significant engines, too, such as the big- and small-blocks from Ford® and GM and, of course, the Gen I and II HEMI®s from Chrysler. Along the way, we also discussed some of the significant police cars which were powered by these engines. Part two…

Sergeant James Post A CONDENSED HISTORY OF POLICE CAR ENGINES (AND A FEW COOL CRUISERS, TOO) PART ONE We all think of history in different ways. Your high school history teacher probably traced history by the dates of significant events, while architects categorize history with building styles and sports fans track history by the big (or bad) games of their favorite teams. But, automobile fans (car guys/gals) organize their thinking by favorite years, makes and models. However, performance-minded buffs go…

SERGEANT JAMES POST THE 2018 DODGE DURANGO SSV In addition to the pursuit-rated vehicles tested each year by the Michigan State Police (MSP), occasionally, manufacturers will submit prototypes for evaluation and testing. Normally, these results are not published or included in the test results released to Law Enforcement (LE) agencies and the media. This is understandable because these vehicles can rightfully be called “works in progress” and the grueling MSP tests can frequently reveal areas which need more attention. Such…

Sergeant James Post TRANSPORTATION 2018  P&SN presents its 20th annual report on the latest technical advances in police vehicles, components and aftermarket equipment. Welcome to our annual transportation issue where we cover all that’s new for the coming year – vehicles, emergency lighting and other accessories, plus all the results from the Michigan State Police (MSP) annual emergency vehicle tests. So, grab a cup of java, sit back and enjoy. Oh, yeah, don’t forget something to write with so you…

Sergeant James Post GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS AND REALLY GOOD NEWS Okay, I’m one of those guys who likes to get the bad news out of the way first. Then, I have something good to look forward to after I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me. Unless you’ve been on the International Space Station for the last six months, you know that the bad news comes from Ford® Motor Company. Yes, the folks who gave us the Edsel,…