US Police Armored Vehicles

[pmulcahy11b]

Anybody have any handle on what US Police forces or agencies are using what armored vehicles Or weird things like the Florida Forestry Service, which has a demilled AH-1G for use in fire spotting

[Rainbow Six]

In 1989 I did the Kennedy Space Centre tour whilst on holiday in Orlando and saw what looked very much like two M113's. iirc they were painted white and had the NASA logo on them.

[cavtroop]

Gwinnett County, GA (I think) has a couple of M114s:

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=YLMq6ldwr1E

neat little cupola they have there, with a sniper position inside of it.

Edit: Rainbow - yep, those were M113's. They're supposed to be used for evacuation of the shuttle in case of emergency or something like that.

[pmulcahy11b]

In 1989 I did the Kennedy Space Centre tour whilst on holiday in Orlando and saw what looked very much like two M113's. iirc they were painted white and had the NASA logo on them.

They are for emergency exit from the white room and spacecraft in case of a vehicle fire. You slide down a long wire in a basket and land next to the 113s, get in, and drive away as fast as possible; hopefully, they'll shield you when the rocket blows up (or you're far enough away by then). I think there's a designated bunker they drive to. They've been there since Apollo 7 (I don't know if they've been updated, or they're still plain vanilla M113s.)

[Abbott Shaull]

I know several police agency had retired Peacekeepers and mixture of other Cadillac Cage armor cars out there.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I saw a picture last year some time of a US police armoured vehicle that I think was a modified Saracen APC (modification included removing the centre axle to make it a 4x4 from the original 6x6).
Actually I can't recall if it was a police or sheriff's department but I think it was from one of the southern states.

In an attempt to find it, I've used Google Images with the following search terms: -
US/American Sheriff armoured car
or Sheriff APC
or Police armoured car
or Police APC
They show some interesting pics, everything from M20 Greyhounds, Cadillac Gage Rangers, Cadillac Gage V100 or V150 cars and M75, M114, M577 & M113 tracks as well as one Utah SWAT unit that had a former British Army Humber Pig WAPC and a department from Arizona using a Saracen WAPC (unmodified).
Plus the usual mix of civvy made specialist police vehicles.
It seems a number of the former US military vehicles have been acquired post September 11th 2001 however.

[RN7]

Many US law enforcement agencies uses the Lenco B.E.A.R and BearCat series armoured vehicles, including the New York City, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Dallas PD's, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol among others. The Bearcat is also used by the Army, Navy, Airforce and Marines, and the Department of Defence, Energy and State, and NASA among others.

The Caddilac Gage Ranger (Peacekeeper) is also a popular police vehicle, used by the Washington DC and Austin PD's, and the Florida Highwat Patrol.

The SWAT teams of the San Francisco, Tulsa and Sierra Vista PD each use an ex-British Army Alvis Saracen.

[Canadian Army]

Cadillac Gage Commando

For many years the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had used Cadillac Gage Commando V-100s. Detroit SWAT also has them as well, but I find the M113 as common for Police units.

[dragoon500ly]

Post 9/11, as the M-113 series is being removed from service, according to the last Congressional Records, over two hundred have been turned over to LEA.

[boogiedowndonovan]

a department from Arizona using a Saracen WAPC (unmodified).
.

San Francisco Police Department uses a Saracen.

Also, wikipedia says that Sierra Vista Police Department uses one. I think that's Sierra Vista, Arizona. Wikipedia also says that the Tulsa, Oklahoma PD uses a Saracen body on a commercial truck body.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvis_Saracen

[boogiedowndonovan]

For many years the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had used Cadillac Gage Commando V-100s. Detroit SWAT also has them as well, but I find the M113 as common for Police units.

Looks like the LAPD still uses Cadillac Gage V-100s (I'm just using Google and searching for any city's armored recovery vehicle)

this is some dude's flicker pic.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/badlizard/3031838321/

speaking of Los Angeles PD and armored vehicles, does anyone recall the scene with the LAPD armored car in the Bruce Willis flick Die Hard

"The quarterback is toast!!!"

[TiggerCCW UK]

speaking of Los Angeles PD and armored vehicles, does anyone recall the scene with the LAPD armored car in the Bruce Willis flick Die Hard

"The quarterback is toast!!!"

That was an M8 Greyhound IIRC Would they still have been in used 40+ years after the war

[TiggerCCW UK]

And its great to know that there are still Saracens rattling around in service - one of my favourite families of vehicles, along with the Humber Pig. Possibly as a result of growing up with them on the streets here - I remember Pigs, Saracens, Saladins, Ferrets and I think I remember seeing Fox armoured cars as well, although I might just be remembering pictures of them.

As an aside what was the APC used in Dragnet The Tom Hanks/Dan Akroyd film version. From my youthful memories it was an M113, but I'm not sure.

[copeab]

That was an M8 Greyhound IIRC Would they still have been in used 40+ years after the war

It might have been an M20 Utility Car, which was basically an M8 without the turret and the interior rearranged with two bench seats. However, the vehicle in the movie lacked the skate ring of the M20 (which mounted a .50-cal Browning) and the turret ring was plated over.

IIRC, the M8 was used into the 80's in some South American countries and the M20 might have been used longer.

[Legbreaker]

Since Police are unlikely to be facing up to anything heavier than assault rifles and shotguns, 50+ year old AFVs are probably more than sufficient for the job. Stick a new engine in them, upgrade the suspension from time to time and they could well see service for decades more to come.