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HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

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  • HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

    Group says police should not drive SUVs
    Leila Fujimori, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 18, 2004
    A national consumer safety advocacy group says on-duty police officers should not be driving sport utility vehicles, such as the one that rolled over in an accident that killed a Wahiawa officer Monday... Of the 1,264 vehicles that the Honolulu Police Department subsidizes, 716, or 56 percent, are SUVs.
    The NBC series Hawaii is able to have a little fun with its props thanks to the Honolulu Police Department policy that allows police officers to use their personal cars on the job (the TV cops will drive convertibles). But the practice also allows some odd choices when it comes to patrol vehicles.

    Are gigantic SUVs too much for HPD, whose cars should be agile as well as fast? Have you seen any other cars out there with blue lights that make you scratch your head?

  • #2
    Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

    When I rode in a Police Officer's Chevy Blazer, it was narrow and tall. That, and since it was full of teens, I thought that we were gonna tip over since he responded to a call and used his lights.

    Also, vans w/ strobes (Ford Clubwagons/Ecolines, Chevy Astros and Vanturas, etc) are bad too, because if they go on a sharp turn when speeding down a road, then that's an accident waiting to happen.

    And I've seen a lot of SUVs being used as a police's patrol car (Dodge Durangos, Ford Explorers, numerous Chevy Blazers). If they don't want to tip over, maybe HPD should be using Hummer H1s and H2s (not a bad idea, but then people would complain why they need $50,000+ vehicles that will just be used to ram cars, instead of blocking them).
    Last edited by adrian; August 18, 2004, 08:05 AM.
    How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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    • #3
      Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

      Heaven's no!!! A police officer would never use his own $50,000 automobile to ram a drug dealer off the road. They call in for back up and let the marked patrols cars do the heavy work.

      The problem with today's cars is that they're too well insulated. I had my briefcase stolen from me once and I gave chase to the kid who stole it, running down Beretania Street one day. The cop parked in the Beretania Times supermarket couldn't hear me shouting for help. I finally ran up to his window and pounded on it. Boy was he pissed! But I was fuming at him for not being able to respond to a call for help.

      Maybe convertibles would help police officers be more in tuned to what's going on around them. Look at their SUV's nowdays and you see below 20% tint (legal because it's not a sedan) while they wear their Oakley sunglasses. It's no wonder they cannot see the crime happening right next to them.

      And imagine the gas mileage on those suckers?
      Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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      • #4
        Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

        Originally posted by craigwatanabe
        Heaven's no!!! A police officer would never use his own $50,000 automobile to ram a drug dealer off the road. They call in for back up and let the marked patrols cars do the heavy work.

        The problem with today's cars is that they're too well insulated. I had my briefcase stolen from me once and I gave chase to the kid who stole it, running down Beretania Street one day. The cop parked in the Beretania Times supermarket couldn't hear me shouting for help. I finally ran up to his window and pounded on it. Boy was he pissed! But I was fuming at him for not being able to respond to a call for help.

        Maybe convertibles would help police officers be more in tuned to what's going on around them. Look at their SUV's nowdays and you see below 20% tint (legal because it's not a sedan) while they wear their Oakley sunglasses. It's no wonder they cannot see the crime happening right next to them.

        And imagine the gas mileage on those suckers?
        Yeah, but who would you stop for: an H2 running at 60mph to catch up to you, or a 70mph Crown Vic that has protection to ram you?

        And I thought Police Officer's gas gets deducted from their pay when they fill it up at the station(s)?
        How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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        • #5
          Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

          Did the news last night say that the officer that died in the SUV accident NOT have his seatbelt on? It's sad that the accident caused the officer his life but he should have had the seatbelt on.
          Retired Senior Member

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          • #6
            Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

            Originally posted by Mocha
            Did the news last night say that the officer that died in the SUV accident NOT have his seatbelt on? It's sad that the accident caused the officer his life but he should have had the seatbelt on.
            Really?

            Yeah, if he had his belt on, he'd live, but I guess he was in a hurry because he was called.
            How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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            • #7
              Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

              Originally posted by adri1456
              Yeah, but who would you stop for: an H2 running at 60mph to catch up to you, or a 70mph Crown Vic that has protection to ram you?

              And I thought Police Officer's gas gets deducted from their pay when they fill it up at the station(s)?

              Well an H2 at 60 mph and a Crown Vic at 70 mph would have a hard time catching up to my BMW at 162 mph (not that I'd try to outrun a cop)

              Fact is riding high at speeds over 80 mph is rather spooky, but then again didn't HPD issue a "no high-speed" chase policy? SUV's were never meant to driven at high speeds because of their suspension and high CG. And for that I would assume for a safety reason that should be the reason why they shouldn't be used for police cars. Okay don't chase at high speed? But responding quickly to an incident requires high speed. And that's how that police officer died, his SUV wasn't equipped to be driven at that speed.
              Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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              • #8
                Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

                The lack of a seat belt (and HPD's policy expressly allowing officers to not wear them) definitely clouds the "SUVs appropriate for police" issue. One thing that has been noted, though, is that while more than half of the personal cars used by HPD officers are SUVs, they continue to be trained in standard patrol cars. If they're going to be learning high-speed maneuvering and other road skills, it would definitely help to train them in a vehicle that behaves the same way as the one they'll be working in every day.

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                • #9
                  Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

                  Another entry today in the "HPD and SUVs" dance. This officer was wearing his belt, and survived, but is still in critical condition.

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                  • #10
                    Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

                    Originally posted by pzarquon
                    Another entry today in the "HPD and SUVs" dance. This officer was wearing his belt, and survived, but is still in critical condition.
                    I absolutely LOOOOOVE my Murano. But no way am I going to be using it for any high speed chases, especially for going around corners. Obviously the powers that be forgot their physics lessons from high school. Heh. Maybe the cops should all be driving Ferraris. They'd never have to worry about high center of gravity, and they'd have enough horsepower to overtake any other car on the road!

                    Miulang
                    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                    • #11
                      Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

                      Originally posted by Miulang
                      Maybe the cops should all be driving Ferraris. They'd never have to worry about high center of gravity, and they'd have enough horsepower to overtake any other car on the road!
                      Oh yeah? Well, get this: two lucky Italian State Police officers get to drive a Lamborghini. Now that would give pause to any speeding driver.

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                      • #12
                        Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

                        Originally posted by Glen Miyashiro
                        Oh yeah? Well, get this: two lucky Italian State Police officers get to drive a Lamborghini. Now that would give pause to any speeding driver.
                        Weeeee!watta way to go! The closest I ever came to a Lamborghini Countach was at an auto show. The spiffiest sportscar I ever drove was a Porsche (for a weekend) and a Jag XKE (shop baby). Actually, though, Italian cars are beautiful but stop running as soon as it starts raining. Haven't seen too many Fiats up here in rain country.

                        Miulang
                        Last edited by Miulang; September 16, 2004, 04:58 PM.
                        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                        • #13
                          Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

                          Do I detect a trend here? Another HPD officer was critically injured in Wailupe yesterday in a Ford Explorer SUV as he tried to avoid hitting another car that veered in front of him...time to put your boys in blue in more road-hugging cars, I think.

                          More here...http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln03a.html

                          Miulang
                          "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                          • #14
                            Re: HPD and SUVs: A Bad Combination?

                            Miulang, that's the same crash we were talking about yesterday. I thought it might've been a third, too, but that's 'cause I don't think of that area as Wailupe.

                            The Star-Bulletin updated their breaking news item with a piece this morning with details of the arrest of the other driver. I think it's interesting that they maintain that there was no confirmation of whether or not the officer's blue dome light was on or flashing at the time of the crash, when I'm pretty sure TV stations were asserting that they were last night.

                            I doubt this will be the last accident like this. Considering all the skilled driving they have to do, police crashes are fairly uncommon. The key factor has got to be the rollover-prone SUVs so many of them are choosing to drive now.

                            True, like the SHOPO guy said, the SUV wasn't the reason for the crash - the collision with the other car was. But the way the SUV rolled afterward is definitely a factor in the severity of the officer's injuries. I'm just glad he survived, and that he was belted in (despite HPD policy to not require them).

                            I agree with the recommendation made after the first crash: cops should be trained to do special driving maneuvers in the same cars they'll be driving on the job. It does no good knowing how to pull a U-turn at 45 m.p.h. in a low, wide, four-door Ford sedan if you're going to have to do it for real in a tall, narrow truck or SUV. The physics are completely different.
                            Last edited by pzarquon; September 17, 2004, 06:38 AM.

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