Chevy Woos Police With A Demo Car

By Andrew Gorosko

Since last week, Newtown police have been cruising about town in a different kind of police car, a 2000 Chevrolet Impala specially equipped for heavy-duty patrol use.

At the request of a Chevrolet dealer in Purchase, N.Y., police are evaluating the performance of the General Motors product.

The Chevrolet police car is intended to provide some competition for Ford, which sells virtually all of the police cars now on the road. The town police fleet is comprised of marked and unmarked dark blue Ford Crown Victorias.

The Impala which police have been evaluating is white, with bright red and blue flare lines on the fenders and doors. It wears a bold DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) insignia on the trunk lid.

On seeing the Chevrolet at various incidents during recent days, some residents did a double-take, not quite knowing what to make of the presence of a white Chevrolet police car bearing New York marker plates.

Several police departments in New England have been testing the “Chevy police package,” as the specially-equipped car is known, according to Acting Captain Joe Rios.

“They are interested in our input,” he said of Chevrolet’s interest in learning police officers’ impression of its police vehicle.

Although it is a roomy car, the Impala is not as large as the Crown Victoria. The Chevrolet is 200 inches long. The Ford is 212 inches long. The Chevrolet is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 engine. The Ford has a 4.6-liter V-8 engine. The Chevrolet weighs 3,590 pounds; the Ford weighs 4,039 pounds.

The Fords, which town police normally drive, have a heavy steel mesh partition between the front and rear seats. The Chevrolets have a clear plastic partition. The Chevrolets have a front-wheel-drive design. The Fords are powered by a rear-wheel-drive system.

The Chevrolet test car is not equipped with town police radios, so it is only in limited use, Acting Captain Rios said. Patrol officers take the vehicle onto the road to evaluate its performance when time permits.

Police will have the use of the test car until July 16.