It always seemed odd to me that Police officers don't drive the fastest cars available. Sure, there's not a lot of leg room in the back seat for anyone who may have to be given a ride "downtown". But, if you want to catch a speeding criminal, how are you supposed to do it in a clunky old SUV or family sedan?

Jonathan Benallack
Jonathan Benallack
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Maybe that's the idea behind the newest vehicle being tested by the Michigan State Police. According to Car and Driver Magazine, they are currently testing one of the fastest police vehicles of all time.

It might feel like they've have some pretty quick cars on the road already:

MSP Twitter
MSP Twitter
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But, it turns out, the fasted police vehicle available is bigger than you'd think.

How does the Michigan State Police decide what vehicles to test?

There is a lot of thought put into what vehicles will become the new fleet of cruisers for the Michigan State Police. To make sure they checked all of their options, MSP troopers put 4 motorcycles and 11 full sized vehicles through a series of tests at Grattan Raceway in Belding.

These road tests for the potential service vehicles included acceleration, top speed, distance to top speed, braking, and lap times. They then take the data they collected to give to other Michigan police departments so that they can make decisions for their future cruiser purchases.

What was the fastest vehicle tested by the Michigan State Police?

Amongst the 15 road vehicles tested by MSP, one of them claims to be the fastest police cruiser concept in history.

Courtesy of Ford
Courtesy of Ford
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According to Car and Driver, "The all-wheel-drive 2022 Ford Police Interceptor Utility (FPIU), with its 400-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, remains the quickest police vehicle sold today, getting to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and 100 mph in 13.5 seconds during MSP testing."

Courtesy of Ford
Courtesy of Ford
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This vehicle is also MADE for helping law enforcement's lives safer. It's been designed for some of the special situations only a cruiser would be in. The FPIU is 75-MPH Rear-Impact Crash-Test Rated, which means it's able to safely take hits better than the average vehicle.

It also comes equipped with Available Police Perimeter Alert, which is a feature that gives a location of anyone around the vehicle, allowing officers to have zero blind spots or worries that someone could be sneaking up on them.

Courtesy of Ford
Courtesy of Ford
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Other features include a on-demand rear camera that allows officers to turn their rear camera even when not in reverse, and sensors and warnings that allow them to see if they may hit a pedestrian or vehicle.

So it's not only just about speed, it's about the extra features that allow our law enforcement officers to keep themselves and others safe while doing their jobs.

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