The relationship between car enthusiasts and police is a tense one, and not without reason. Our kind doesn’t like the extra scrutiny we receive from law enforcement because of the bad apples in our community, while the other prefers not to hear of (let alone engage in) dangerous high-speed chases. Anything to bridge the gap between these two groups would be welcome, and one Texas police department has a solution that sounds right by us, because it’s adding a Ford Mustang to its fleet.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the Pasadena Police Department (the one in Houston, not California) is dropping $49,275.82 on a white 2020 Mustang, paid for in part by funds gathered from speeding tickets. This won’t be the 730-horsepower Saleen Mustang police interceptor you see up top—the car the PPD is purchasing is a 2020 Mustang GT Fastback, which costs $37,604. Outfitting the car with emergency equipment will cost an additional $9,270, and its livery, which the department’s fleet manager Sergeant Glen Severs describes as “a patriotic look with American flags” that “will be red, white, and blue” will cost another $2,000.
“The money that is going to pay for this comes from the child safety fund, which is generated through speeding tickets and things like that,” said City Councilman Phil Cayten. His fellow Councilman Bruce Leamon explained that the city green-lit the expenditure with the hope of improving police officers’ relationship with the general public, especially young people.
“It’s a lot of money to spend on a car, but a couple of years ago, community services adopted a dog from our animal shelter, and this dog became an icebreaker between the police department and kids,” Leamon told the publication. “A dog and a car are not a good correlation, but a car like this with decals and lights, when the police officers go to a school and encounter children, it’ll be an icebreaker. When the kids come up and look at the car and talk to an officer, they’ll feel comfortable talking to the officer.”
Police Chief Josh Bruegger told the paper that the car will primarily be used as an outreach vehicle, used for visiting schools, appearing in parades, and so on. A PPD spokesperson confirmed to The Drive that when the Mustang enters service this spring, it won’t see service as a cruiser or interceptor, only as a PR car. That’ll probably disappoint people who want to hear about this car chasing down wrongdoers, but given Houston’s pothole problem, taking this car on a high-speed chase is probably a terrible idea.
There is so much wrong with this I am at a loss.
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