(credit: translogic.aolautos.com)
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — If you thought the patrol car in the 1987 action movie “Robocop” was high-tech, wait until you see what L.A.’s finest will be soon be driving.AOL’s Translogic caught a sneak peek of the new squad car of choice for the Los Angeles Police Department: the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV).
Billed as the “sum total of all the law enforcement community has learned about patrol cars to date” by the report, the PPV boasts a 6.0L V-8 engine with 355 horsepower, 18-inch steel wheels, and a host of gadgets that puts any Hollywood squad car to shame.
The Caprice, which replaces the long-used Ford Crown Victoria, is equipped with an infrared night vision camera, automated license plate scanner, and a touch-screen center console that replaces the older computers traditionally used by officers.
In addition to horsepower and firepower, the cruiser is also outfitted with the latest in information technology, with ethernet, Wi-Fi and an experimental wireless-mesh network in the trunk.
Even the bad guys can ride in comfort: cut-outs in the back seat are custom-made to accommodate any handcuffed suspect.
LAPD officials say vehicle wrapping was used on all-black sedans instead of traditional paint to minimize repair expenses and protect resale value. This brings the expected taxpayer cost to be about $20,000.
Drivers can expect to see the new 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV cruising city streets as early as mid-2011.
110 Comments
That is just gonna be cool !! And its a Chevy ! Very nice …
Yeah it’ll be good for 40,000 miles or so.
Sweet, the taxpayers pay for nothing but the best. Of course, this doesn’t really help fight the real criminals, but it does help fleece the public even more.
actually 20 grand is fairly cheap for all that. of course if the state is broke even 20k per car is too much
That $20K is just for the vehicle wrapping, no?
Good thing LA doesn’t have a budget deficit … oh wait.
Who wrote this? My fifth grade daughter can do better — “At a taxpayer cost of $20,000, LAPD officials say vehicle wrapping was used on the all-black sedans…” Did it really cost 20 grand for LAPD officials to say this??!!
Contextual ambiguity.
“Sure, we’ll tell you — for a price…”
Seriously, though – will $20 really pay off on resale? I think not. Our small, New England town fitted a stock cruiser with with lights, sirens and all additional accessories for less than that price. Who do these folks think they’re kidding?
Oops — $20K, that is.
Only the most expensive cop cars, highest taxes, and the biggest budget deficits will due for L.A., California!!!
What resale value?!?! It’s a damned police car. Used police cars are guaranteed to have been driven very hard and been in at least a few accidents.
I wouldn’t buy one with any kind of paint job for over $300.
Especially since they rip out ALL of their equipment, which will now include the entire center console!
Shouldl have said, “At the cost of $20,000 per unit, LAPD…….” Good catch.
Mr. Simon, surely you’ve noticed that those paid to communicate for a living rarely have command of their most important tool: the language. Dangling modifiers abound, to say nothing of poor spelling and mangled pronunciation, incomplete sentences, incorrect pronoun usage, preposition placement, etc. I don’t know believe thee ability to write and speak intelligently is required for much of anything anymore.
s/b I don’t believe the ability . . . .
It seems that you missed the memo: Verbal and writing skills shall be inversely proportional to the volume of Federal dollars poured into public schools. See Baltimore, Washington DC, etc.
Get a life dude.
Your reply is also not correct.
What is “20 grand”?
Are you too stupid to say 20 thousand or twenty thousand or $20,000????
Will the license plate reader be able to tell if the driver is an illegal immigrant so that the police know not to bother pulling them over?
OK now THAT was funny! LOL
Ha ha ha. This would be even funnier if it wasn’t so true.
hot automatic donut warmers?
Indeed! The ethernet connection will not only scan license plates for evil criminals with outstanding warrants, it will load location data into electronic storage, so that over time, the police will be able to profile anyone’s driving habits! Privacy is so old-fashioned, and besides, us law-abiding people have nothing to fear, because the government is our friend!
Some view Orwell’s 1984 as a precautionary tale. Me, I think he was so unimaginative. Who needs citizens informing on each other when computers allow a small, armed and badged minority to exert much better control over the rest of us?
Hmm… The first inventor of successful scanner countermeasure technology will likely do quite well in sales… If it’s designed by a human, it has a weakness.
i wonder if there’s an app for it…
But if it’s designed by the machines, we are powerless. Unless it’s the T100.
Thats why we still have a terrorist threat so goverment can take away our civil libertys and privacy
Folks who can’t spell probably need to be watched a little closer Greggy.
“The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury.” ~ George Washington — http://911essentials.com
A car from Government Motors? In a city run by a liberal politician? Gee, I can’t help but wonder if this is just another “you scratch my back I scratch yours” kind of deal with Obama? None of the technology is exclusive to Chevy or GM. It would been just as easy to drop it into a Crown Vic. I wonder if this purchase actually went to bid? Is the RFP on any city website?
You’ve figured it all out! Obama, when he’s not busy killing Osama Bin Laden, is really busy trying to figure out what the police cars in LA should be like in the future. And yes, because it’s from GM, obviously it was a no-bid contract, where as you pointed out, if Ford had produced the car, then we could be sure it was a non-corrupt multiple-bid contract. It’s not because Ford announced that they are ending production of the Crown Vic – that’s just silly. It can’t be that. Don’t worry, your logic is solid if you ignore the facts. Just come up with new conspiracies whenever smart people point out your flawed logic.
I asked if there purchase had gone through the bidding process. I also asked if there was an RFP? That is not claiming a conspiracy. I did point out that the Crown Vic, the most used police vehicle in the last two decades, could have just as easily taken the new electronics. That is called an example and did not in any way insinuate that the Crown Vic was, in fact, even part of the bidding process. Given the political cronyism so prevalent in LA City Hall, it is a reasonable question to ask if this was a political favor for Mr. Obama. Is it not in the Mayor’s best interests to curry favor by helping to insure the success of Government Motors?
Oh, by the way, Mr. Obama did NOT kill Bin Laden. That duty was performed by a Navy Seal team based on evidence of his whereabouts gathered by our national intelligence agencies over the last decade. You need to improve your reading comprehension.
I got a shotgun , a rifle and a 4 wheel drive, and a country boy will survive
Yeah, because the spray painted black Ford Taurus in Robocop was so high tech. I love when people write articles and add in blurbs about movies they obviously have never seen.
So when the economy goes further down the drain some people won’t be able to pay their car insurance on time. The insurance company will immeidately put you in a database saying that you have fallen out of scope and all the cop cars will be notified that you are in violation and they will arrest you. Funny how all the jobs are going overseas and they want to scary us will bogeymen terrorist and we are the schmucks that get harrassed and billed for it. California is broke and they still manage to afford stuf that can oppress the people. Why not build a plant that makes goods that will give California jobs.
@Henry….I couldn’t have said that any better myself and I take great pride in my verbal assaults on the government!!
F#CK the police!
Amen
You stupid people. You live in L.A. the mestizo crime capital of the world (beside Mexico City) and don’t forget the crips and bloods of the darker persuasion. You complain about the Police having the proper equipment to protect you…..ridiculous! Why don’t you complain about the illegals sapping away tax dollars instead of Police? You fools get what you deserve.
Well then, why aren’t they deported and the border sealed there genius?
How does Leo think that license plate scanners will catch the real criminals? Everyone with a brain knows that they are there for one thing: to harass the public. Leo also thinks that the police are interested in rounding up illegal immigrants? When the Feds are suing Arizona for wanting to do just that and ICE is on a do-not-apprehend order from the DHS? Must be nice to live in fantasy land like Leo, who obviously doesn’t read the news.
The police don’t protect you moron. They are just first responders if that. In other words they are there to clean up the mess. I prefer to carry my Glock 26 with me and that makes me an instant responder. Remember, when seconds count, the police are just minutes away!
glad i didn’t help pay for this. tax free and loving every minute of it. F D Police
Sure wouldn’t want the police to have to type in a license plate number. What’s the cost of these units? Is the $20,000 the amount for wrapping each vehicle, the total amount for wrapping all vehicles, or the total price of each car(which would be hard to believe). The reporter needs to provide a lot more detail to this story.
It is free taxpayer money. They do not worry about cost. The federal government will bail them out since they a ultra liberal.
6.0L, 355 HP and gets 10 mpg. Can’t use that Horsepower any where in the state because you can’t ‘intimidate’ or cause dangerous or reculos situtions. So, why have it, a waste of the taxpayers money..
Night vision? A real need once you are out the squad car: Or does the cop stay in the car the entire time … a car is a tool, not a house to live in.
License plate scanner?? Put your plate in the rear window and see how effective that gadget is…
Taxpayers dollars … for a bunch of sh!t the cops don’t even need. No wonder Cali is broke.
The Carbon Motors E7 is more high-tech than that. Check it out:
http://www.carbonmotors.com/
LOL sheep cheering it. It’s been a police NATION for a long time….
Obaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaahhhhh
Ryan Said it F86K the Police
By what authority can they just drive around scanning license plates? This is a police state tactic, same as the Soviet Union requiring people to be stopped whenever for id checks. SAME THING.
What is wrong with people? Would you also argue that I don’t have the right to LOOK at your license plates, or that there isn’t a law requiring people to have license plates? THAT’S LITERALLY THE WHOLE POINT OF IT. They’re not there for decoration!
The point isn’t that they can’t look at the license plates, it’s that there is supposedly no money left in the budget to pay salaries, but they can come up with cash that will speed the process of finding vehicles that can generate income for the city. Do you really think the majority of police driving around the city are actually looking for criminals or are they looking for someone driving 10mph over the speed limit so they can generate cash? Get real dude, you’re in fantasy land like most government supporters.
I’m gonna enjoy vomiting in the back seat
The Supreme Court just ruled that California must release 46,000 prisoners because California doesn’t have enough money to house the prisoners properly. But they can afford thermal imaging cameras that start at $4,000 for the cheapest model, not to mention an internet connection and an automatic tag reader so the Officer doesn’t need to actually type the 6 digit tag number. Why, so we can catch and release faster? Government is a poor manager of other people’s money.
Catchandrelease: Very good comment.You can not be from CA. You appear too intelligent.
Can someone explain how a $20,000 vehicle protective “wrap” is more economical than a $2,000 paint job when its time to sell the car? Stupidity. I’ll remember this in the election booth.
I’m pleasantly surprised with all the comments. My comments used to be alien now most people are agreeing. You guys/gals sound like my American Sibbling that love freedom and can now see this system of tyranny that starting to stand up on its legs and begging to walk. Where ever you are, many American like yourselves are taking notice and looking behind the curtains and are identifing all the Globalist enemies that have brought other countries down and are now trying to take us down. Wake up if you are still asleep, Open your eyes even wider if you are awake. The economy is the real National security threat and they in power want to make sure they stay in power when the crash comes. We know the TSA is for us. We are finding out about all the stuff you’ve been putting in the food and water. We are doing our research and we are no longer being distracted by the left and right. We are finding out the facts and the real criminals are we are taking names.
Damn straight! Down with the NWO money changers!
You should probably get some help. Finding out about all the stuff we’ve been putting in the food and water? Seriously? That’s “I need help” talk.
Also, it’s not “Sibbling”.
I was wondering how GM (Government Motors) was able to increase its sales numbers so dramatically. They have gone from the raping the US taxpayers to feeding at the trough of the most populous state in the country – and one going broke as well.
So let’s see. A liberally-dominated city (no wonder it’s such a mess, financially and in terms of crime) buying squad cars from Government Motors. Nope. There’s no conflict of interest here.
Follow the money.
Please tell me how Los Angeles has a conflict of interest with GM? GM is owned by the Fed, which is not part of the government. Additionally, your statement about LA having such a crime problem is pretty devoid of data. Here is the list of crime rates in major cities – LA has less violent crime per person than Dallas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate
Funny…Everyone crys BIG BROTHER go away, yet you all dont hesitate to take his food stamps or his welfare or his goverment housing….
You all need to get a life and make up your mind…to Gov or not to Gov that is the question!!!!!
Speak for yourself. I know I’m not on any welfare. I pay for it.
Only $20K. Why can’t I have a car this sophisticated for only $20K?
I assume it’s $20K + the base price of the car.
Big brother is tightenuing the noose.
Actually, the car is GM/Chevrolet in name only. The car will be built by Holden Motors, a GM subsidiary in Australia, and imported to America from there.
Best comment of today.
is it gasoline proof? hope so. citizens who aren’t allowed to own firearms tend to use gasoline,, burn baby burn
I would assume it’s not bullet proof either.
Actually we won’t have to worry too much. The last Chevy I owned was falling apart at 40,000 miles.
A $30,000 base car for $20,000 loaded? Where can I get such a deal? It sounds like Chevy is buying its way into the market. It tried this in 1990 and fell on its face. Go Dodge Charger! It’s a proven name.
Just another example of reckless government waste of taxpayer money.
Could you be more specific? What’s a reckless waste, the horsepower? the sticker wraps? The screen instead of a laptop? Exactly how is it reckless? Does it endanger anyone? Is it the cost? If that’s the case, would you prefer if they bought much much cheaper / weaker cars instead?
This definitely doesn’t seem “reckless”. Whether it’s a waste is up for debate, but back in my day, paying $2000 for hammers and toilet seats at the Pentagon was considered wasteful. Paying $20000 for a car pales with that.
The “big brother” type comments make no sense. How do night vision and plate scanners mean that? It’s laughable how self-centered people are that they think the LAPD would waste time spying on them. If they are watching, there’s a 100% chance it’s for a good reason.
These cars are worth every penny and will help the police make all of us safer.
Go back to sleep. American Idol is over.
Next they’ll destroy the 4th ammendment like Indiana did. You guys can look forward to having your door kicked in for no reason at all and being shot 60 times. I hate pigs.
There’s likely not much business for a pig veterinarian in Iraq anyway so you’re probably fine just treating camels.
Wow now that’s intelligent. If you had any balls and served in our military, you might understand that means VETERAN. Loser.
Boot licker.
Funny, now I have to worry about the exact same thing we were doing to Iraqis. That’s because big brother cares about you just as much as he cares about the Iraqi people. We are in big trouble.
ha you got pwned and you don’t even know it. my work is done here. peace out.
Absolute insanity! Only the most expensive cop cars, highest taxes, most restrictive laws, larges, most overfilled prisons/jails, and the biggest budget deficits will do for L.A., California!!! Why else are so many people moving out of places like California and New York?
The article says: “At a taxpayer cost of $20,000, LAPD officials say vehicle wrapping was used on the all-black sedans instead of the traditional paint to minimize repair expenses and protect resale value.”
It appears the car is not $20,000. That is the “cost of the wrap” to color the doors and fenders black.
According to the Democrats on the Supreme Court, California doesn’t have enough money to properly house there prisoners.
Now California is being told to release 46,000 prisoners at the expense of the public’s safety. But they can afford to buy these fancy prisoner catching cars.
Why not forget the cars, expand the prisons and not release the 46,000 prisoners to begin with?
Maybe we’re not as free a country as most of us have thought. It seems like terrorism is being used as the reason to crack down on everyone. At the rate we’re going, everyone is going to feel like they’re living in one big prison — so why not just let all the prisoners go free? it’s becoming one big prison anyhow. And when a fair number of the 46,000 prisoners to be released engage in felonious assault (as odds are they will), there will be further justification to crack down on everyone. All problems can be solved by turning the USA into a huge prison. The average person will go along with it because he/she has no knowledge of the Constitution or capacity to think beyond self-gratification. I hope I’m way off in my analysis. But from what I read and see, I can’t help but think we’re going in the wrong direction whether it’s by accident or on purpose.
So cops can now AUTOMATICALLY violate our rights with license plate scanners. Great. Who cares if they have “cause,” just scan away. Unbelievable.
Hey! How come they didn’t spell the word “Police” in Spanish? Seems worthwhile to let the criminals in LA know who they’re dealing with.
All the best toys in the world will do no good when in the end the courts release the bad guys from jail. Deport all illegals now serving in jail and if apprehended again, they get NO RIGHTS and I mean no rights. But wait california is full of liberal loons, NEVERMIND……
Given the fact that our border with Mexico is still fairly easy for the bad guys (including terrorists) to cross, it’s important to crack down on average citizens as they go about their business, isn’t it? Excuse the sarcasm, but I will never really understand why that border does not get the attention it should. It seems to me that if terrorism is a big concern, our borders would be very secure by now. After all, how many years has it been since 9-11? Didn’t ancient China build a great wall that was impenetrable many centuries ago? Why don’t we get serious about border security? It would be much cheaper than all of these expensive gizmos being used on everyone in the hopes of catching a bad guy. It seems to me that we’re becoming a country under lock-down while our best defense: border security goes begging.
You understand that the LAPD aren’t at all involved with patrolling the border, right? You know that LA doesn’t include any land that is on the border with Mexico? You understand that the LA budget, which is where the LAPD’s funding comes from, doesn’t have any funds for border monitoring. We’re all on the same page here, right?
I understand what you’re saying up to a point, but I’m looking at the bigger picture. LA and the rest of the country would be better off if our borders were secured. The crackdown on civil liberties — across the country (not just LA) — is being justified by the supposed threat of terrorism. Well, if terrorism is such a threat to the nation, why is the border left leaking like a seive? For me, the fact that our borders are not secured throws the entire crackdown into question.
LAPD has always been, “Us against them”….us being LAPD and them being everyone else. LAPD is corrupt in spirit and reality. Why don’t they hire more officers and have them walk the streets instead of spending money on totalitarian gadgets.
JUST the thing someone deep in debt needs to do…buy the latest and greatest ‘thing’.
IRRESPONSIBLE.
$20 K is for car only. Any decent thermal imager will cost that much or more not to mention the HD cameras for license plate ID system.
Look at more like $50 to $60 thousand for each complete unit.
NYC has had license plate scanners for over a year now. While aimed at stolen vehicles and terrorists, where they really pay off is catching parking scofflaws. LA will do well with these.
Isn’t running any ole plate automatically for warrants defeat the whole probable cause thing? I thought good behaviour alone would protect you from probable cause stops? Are we to tell people good behavior no longer counts and that everyone on the road is a suspect to a crime and therefore all are to be investigated, even if by a fast computer and camera.??
As much as I would like to agree, there is no expectation of privacy for your license plate on a public road. Every since advanced communications like the KDT and MDT were put into units, license plates are constantly run by officers. If you have had a cop stopped behind you at a light, it is entirely possible that your plate was run for wants. Sometimes police work is just a matter of luck.
Wish we had these in my day.
Just the facts M’am, just the facts…
Jon S — liberal tool attacking anyone and everyone that questions the purchase of some very expensive police cruisers. I wonder if he works for the mayor? He probably is upset that the Gold Card desk has been closed. He won’t be able to get his parking tickets fixed by his buddies. Get a life you liberal whack job.
$20K isn’t a lot of money for any car, let alone one with all the electronics this police car has. These cars run day and night in a city where crime is king. I’d much rather have this that to have to wait for the police to jumpstart a vehicle before they can get to my house if there’s a problem.
There is no way in this world that those cars will run $20k. Double that at the very minimum. Someone got their facts all messed up.
I don’t care as long as it’s perfectly legal for me to put recording gear in my car.
I would like my own video evidence to be able to debunk theirs, including instances of “missing” data
I just googled it. I was off but the author of this story is way off as well. That car will run $30,995. I wonder who’s picking up the extra $11k?