Cop suv's instead of cars?

[VUPDblue]

My car and contents

Like Denny, I like to keep my car clutter-free. In this first pic you can see what it looks like from the drivers side. The passenger seat contains my patrol bag which keeps my PBT, Clipboard, one trauma kit, mags, ticket books, gloves, hand sanitizer and a few other odds and ends.

Next is a pic from the passenger side. you can see a little better what sits in the passenger seat when there is not a passenger (most of the time). All the stuff in the bag is stuff I use on a regular basis. If it doesn't get used regularly then it can live in the trunk.

Next a couple views from the back seat. One serious blowout/trauma kit hanging on the back of the passenger seat (tan bag) in case I need it for myself or one of my co-workers. The camo bag is a boo-boo kit and contacts, solution, aspirin, and stuff that it is sometimes nice to have around. There is a trash can on the floor so that I don't accumulate junk, and the file organizer is charging affidavits and DUI forms and warrants. It's easy to grab and go from where it hangs there behind the seat, but makes putting more than one person in the back impossible without rearranging. There is also a shotgun hanging from the ceiling.

Lastly is the trunk. CBRNE kit, Mobile Field Force gear, raincoats and jackets, toys for kiddos, flares, emergency rations and water, stop sticks, extra clothes and boots, inkjet printer (that I bought and installed), and a few other odds and ends that I can't realistically be without. In the winter there is also sand, salt and a shovel in there.

 

[kickbacked]

Rear wheel drives are easy in the winter.

easier to wreck maybe. Ive never owned a fwd vehicle but plenty of friends have them and they seem to do really well in the snow. I currently have a 4x4, but back when i had to drive my rwds in the winter i had to pick specific routes that didnt have hills or else id get stuck.

 

[kickbacked]

Like Denny, I like to keep my car clutter-free. In this first pic you can see what it looks like from the drivers side. The passenger seat contains my patrol bag which keeps my PBT, Clipboard, one trauma kit, mags, ticket books, gloves, hand sanitizer and a few other odds and ends.

Next is a pic from the passenger side. you can see a little better what sits in the passenger seat when there is not a passenger (most of the time). All the stuff in the bag is stuff I use on a regular basis. If it doesn't get used regularly then it can live in the trunk.

Next a couple views from the back seat. One serious blowout/trauma kit hanging on the back of the passenger seat (tan bag) in case I need it for myself or one of my co-workers. The camo bag is a boo-boo kit and contacts, solution, aspirin, and stuff that it is sometimes nice to have around. There is a trash can on the floor so that I don't accumulate junk, and the file organizer is charging affidavits and DUI forms and warrants. It's easy to grab and go from where it hangs there behind the seat, but makes putting more than one person in the back impossible without rearranging. There is also a shotgun hanging from the ceiling.

Lastly is the trunk. CBRNE kit, Mobile Field Force gear, raincoats and jackets, toys for kiddos, flares, emergency rations and water, stop sticks, extra clothes and boots, inkjet printer (that I bought and installed), and a few other odds and ends that I can't realistically be without. In the winter there is also sand, salt and a shovel in there.

is that a taurus ?

edit: nm, i am an idiot

 

[Brandon]

easier to wreck maybe. Ive never owned a fwd vehicle but plenty of friends have them and they seem to do really well in the snow. I currently have a 4x4, but back when i had to drive my rwds in the winter i had to pick specific routes that didnt have hills or else id get stuck.

Just as easy to wreck a front wheel as it is a rear wheel. Lot to do with the driver.

 

[kickbacked]

Just as easy to wreck a front wheel as it is a rear wheel. Lot to do with the driver.

Sure you can wreck both, but having engine weight over the drive wheels makes it a whole lot easier to drive in the snow.

 

[Brandon]

Again, it has never been an issue for me. Of course I learned to drive in a rwd and have only had 2 front wheel drive cars but they weren't any easier really.

Alot of winter driving has to do with the driver and the right equipment ie tires. Also not going to fast or making dumb moves in the elements.

 

[Trigger Time]

VUPDBLUE that car is shamwow!! Very nice setup. I was impressed with the printer in the trunk!!! I wonder how many of your backseat passengers have seen the INGO patch and are now members? LOL

 

[VUPDblue]

I doubt im recruiting many members from the back seat. I may or may not be rocking an INGO sticker on the window...

 

[gunowner930]

Sure you can wreck both, but having engine weight over the drive wheels makes it a whole lot easier to drive in the snow.

Maybe, but trying to turn on slick pavement with the same wheels that power the car can be problematic as well.

 

[Amattern]

Like Denny, I like to keep my car clutter-free. In this first pic you can see what it looks like from the drivers side. The passenger seat contains my patrol bag which keeps my PBT, Clipboard, one trauma kit, mags, ticket books, gloves, hand sanitizer and a few other odds and ends.

Next is a pic from the passenger side. you can see a little better what sits in the passenger seat when there is not a passenger (most of the time). All the stuff in the bag is stuff I use on a regular basis. If it doesn't get used regularly then it can live in the trunk.

Next a couple views from the back seat. One serious blowout/trauma kit hanging on the back of the passenger seat (tan bag) in case I need it for myself or one of my co-workers. The camo bag is a boo-boo kit and contacts, solution, aspirin, and stuff that it is sometimes nice to have around. There is a trash can on the floor so that I don't accumulate junk, and the file organizer is charging affidavits and DUI forms and warrants. It's easy to grab and go from where it hangs there behind the seat, but makes putting more than one person in the back impossible without rearranging. There is also a shotgun hanging from the ceiling.

Lastly is the trunk. CBRNE kit, Mobile Field Force gear, raincoats and jackets, toys for kiddos, flares, emergency rations and water, stop sticks, extra clothes and boots, inkjet printer (that I bought and installed), and a few other odds and ends that I can't realistically be without. In the winter there is also sand, salt and a shovel in there.

Wheres your rifle?

 

[Dead Duck]

I don't like having the computer at an angle like that.
The donuts just slide right off.

 

[VUPDblue]

I have freakishly long fingers so I can rest my arm and palm on the console and press all the keys with my fingers with the thing angled like this. I often get that comment from others who can't fathom why I keep it at this angle....

 

[public servant]

Freak.

 

[Trigger Time]

I have freakishly long fingers so I can rest my arm and palm on the console and press all the keys with my fingers with the thing angled like this. I often get that comment from others who can't fathom why I keep it at this angle....

Jesus! Or actually Goliath.

 

[sharkey]

I have freakishly long fingers so I can rest my arm and palm on the console and press all the keys with my fingers with the thing angled like this. I often get that comment from others who can't fathom why I keep it at this angle....

 

[IndyDave1776]

Rear wheel drives are easy in the winter.

easier to wreck maybe. Ive never owned a fwd vehicle but plenty of friends have them and they seem to do really well in the snow. I currently have a 4x4, but back when i had to drive my rwds in the winter i had to pick specific routes that didnt have hills or else id get stuck.

I have found that while a FWD may launch a little easier on snow/ice, the RWD will have better manners overall. A little extra weight in the trunk will largely negate any advantage that fwd may have.

 

[VUPDblue]

I enjoy driving the CVPI in the snow.... lovemachine is jealous. ..

 

[Dead Duck]

I enjoy driving the CVPI in the snow.... lovemachine is jealous. ..

Exactly-

It's all about tires and technique.

 

[sharkey]

A little extra weight in the trunk will largely negate any advantage that fwd may have.

A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body.

















What were we talking about?

 

[IndyDave1776]

Its like the argument about AR-15s and machine guns. If the police can have them, so should the average citizen. If the average citizen can have Camaros, Chargers, Mustangs, Tahoes, etc - so should the police.

I would consider this a very reasonable point. I would further argue (through the lens of a professional driver) that a working vehicle is a work space. It must offer an environment conducive to its user being able to work efficiently. Just like anything else, there is no such thing as a one size fits all solution. I do not feel that the police should be under-equipped in this regard so far as dimensions and performance are concerned. If I were called upon to find a good solution, my answer would be to have three or four different vehicles at a similar price point from which the individual officer could choose based on suitability for specific application and a good, comfortable fit between man/woman and machine. A good fit takes in adequate room for necessary equipment to be placed in a manner conducive to function, adequate fit to the driver (both in terms of not putting a 6 foot plus tall man in a subcompact or a 5 foot or so woman in a vehicle that requires her to put a stack of books on the seat in order to see over the dash), and adequate space for anticipated voluntary or involuntary passengers. As previously addressed, it is also necessary that the vehicle be able to perform adequately and be able to stand up to the abuse of occasional hard use when called upon to do so.

I would like to again reinforce the idea that Frank is absolutely right. Most of us consider it unacceptable that equipment available to law enforcement is unavailable to the rest of us, often in flagrant violation of the Second Amendment. That said, it is a two-way street. I don't accept the argument that the police should be more equal, but at the same time, there is no justification for the notion that they should be less equal. While visiting this general point, I will also point out that being a public servant (as properly defined) is indicative that one is paid to (and expected to) serve the public within the confines of a job description, which does not include functioning as a serf. By extension, while I expect frugal use of resources, that means purchasing equipment which is adequate for the job but not extravagant. It does not mean buying the cheapest thing you can find on four tires (with the consideration a lord would have for a serf). Besides, the machine under consideration is a $20K +/- Tahoe, not a $60K Escalade.

This brings me back to the solution of having each officer able to choose the vehicle that works best from among different choices rather than having that decision made by someone else who doesn't have to live with it.