A local police force has a New Beetle patrol car! WTF?

[BigSmooth]

So I was driving down the street yesterday and I see a New Beetle with lights on it, and I was wondering why... As I get closer, I realize it says "Tigard Police" on the side!
I don't live in Tigard, OR anymore but I do live close to it.

Anyways, I was thinking, why in the heck do they have that car? It's possible that it was seized or something so they didn't have to pay for it, but still! It's not a practical car for a police officer... it's a two door! You can't exactly ram someone or force them off the road with it. You can't put criminals in the back. It's not extremely fast. If they wasted taxpayer money and actually paid for it, then that's even worse.

Seems like it's just taking an officer out of a nice big Crown Victoria and putting them into a rolling billboard. Why do the police need advertising, anyway? I think we all know that they're out there. I've seen many police forces that use a seized Camaro or Corvette, but at least they're fast. A New Beetle is a joke as a police car. Not to mention the fact that I'd be embarrassed as hell to ever get pulled over by one.

 

[ratkil]

It's a step up from the police cars in the movie Drowning Mona LMAO

 

[KingHam]

Maybe it's to keep police ego down. It's hard to feel like a tough guy when you are driving every teenyboppers dream car.

KingHam

 

[yakko]

It is probably a car they seized. We have a Camaro and a Porsche 944 here. They were both siezed from criminals.

 

[AndrewR]

2 door? Maybe it's a pursuit car. LOL

 

[PG]

Chevy actually used to have a police package Camaro. They were used to catch speeders. I don't know if they still offer it.

The only positive thing in having a Bettle as a cop car is that nobody would expect it to be one.

 

[BigSmooth]

I guess you could use it as undercover, but it's got the lights and is painted blue with white writing just like all of their normal cars.

Whatever, cops are trendy around here I guess.

 

[StageLeft]

The local police department in my city has one as well, it was donated by one of the VW dealerships. Its got full lights/paint on it - and actually has the dealership's name on the side. I thought that was a bit brutal, but anyway...

 

[yakko]

It would not be for undercover. They use most less noticeable cars for that. Best one I saw was a Ford Escort wagon with tinted windows and rims on it. The only thing that gave it away for me was the blue light on the dash and the guy that was getting a ticket.

 

[Chooie]

Was that a state or a local car, Yakko?

 

[Adul]

Reminds me of the 5 different DPS cars I seen here.
volvo
camero unmarked
chevy impala (new one)unmarked
2 chevy cavalier unmarked

 

[oldandquitemad]

About 20 years ago the People's Republic of Chapel Hole, North Carolina had several of their officers riding around in fully marked Toyota Carolla STATION WAGONS.

I still laugh when I think about that.

 

[DAM]

all of our state troopers drive camaros here in texas, damn fast bastards.







dam()

 

[yakko]

It was local. I did see a state trooper in an early 90s thunderbird painted metallic blue.

 

[atomicbomberman]

LOL.. that I got to see.. a beetle? Next time you see it, take a picture and share it w/ us man!

Here in the silicon valley all the have is Ford or Chevy fat cars, I think the sunnyvale Police force have a few 5.0 Mustangs converted to chase all them porche around this area.

bettle.. If it's a police car, it gotta have at least the VW VR6 engine and pumped up man.
.. or maybe a turbo beetle that's pumped up on NO or something.

 

[BigSmooth]

See, I understand cops using Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs or what have you to catch up to people in sports cars. But unless they are using a modified engine on their Beetle (I doubt it), then the darn thing's just not as fast as those cars are.

 

[noxipoo]

in IL the state cops now have lots of unmarked cars. I've personally seen 2 dodge caravans, 1 mercedes, lots of mustangs, lots of cameros. theres a BMW somewhere and some a lexus in the burbs. the cameros and mustangs were actually bought. :\

 

[Viper GTS]

It was probably a seizure, or perhaps donated. Locally (Beaverton/Hillsboro/Cornelius) I've seen a Camaro, a 3000 GT VR-4, & I think a Corvette all decked out in DARE regalia. I also know for a fact that there's at least one Camaro that patrols up & down HW's 26 & 6. I've only seen it once, coming towards me, but I knew it was a cop car before I ever saw the logo on the side. It doesn't have any lights on top, though. It's a white, current generation SS, BTW, for those of you who live in Oregon...



Viper GTS

 

[BigSmooth]

Viper - yeah, I hope they got the car for free. I'd just rather have cops (who are getting paid by taxpayers) driving cars that might actually be USEFUL in helping them do their jobs, instead of a sorority girl's car.

I've seen a couple of the cars you mentioned, by the way. I used to see an unmarked older white Mustang, but I think that's been retired. Tigard used to have a maroon car, don't remember what model, it was a mid-sized American car like a Taurus or Intrepid or something.

 

[BigSmooth]

BTW, Viper, ever see when they leave a dummy sitting in a cop car? They used to do it down by the I-5/217 interchange a lot, but I think someone stole the dummy once and I haven't seen them do it since.

 

[mztykal]

Damn, you guys are lucky. You get to see all those idiot cops at their finest and in cars that can't catch a Civic. Down here in Hawaii all we have are 5.0's, Explorers, Crown Victorias, Camaros(20th anniversary i think), and a few new Mustangs. Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about unmarked cop cars.

Sean

 

[andrey]

Here in Arizona cops drive pretty much everything, as long as it is 4x4 and fast:
Durango's, Chevy Tahoes, Jeeps, plus standard Crown Victorias, Chevy Caprices, Camaros, Mustangs and Chevy Monte Carlo. I saw couple Audis as well. No station wagons though

 

[integlspwr]

a beetle as a patrol car, why not just put a honda civic while they are at it. In hawaii, we have the usual, mustang, Impala, crown vics. Recently, i seen a suburban, and a new toyota 4 runner. They all had the blue lights fixed on their cars.

Just thought i might share.

 

[convex]

a friend of mine's father is an oklahoma highway patrolman and they let him take his camero home at night. It's just a camero with an LT1 and a suspension kit. as for station wagon driving cops, i've seen plenty of bmw and mercedes decked out in green and white in germany...

 

[-SpYrL-]

Our local force only has a lot of Crown Victorias, a few Camaros, and the city has motorcycle cops. I guess everyone elses cops actually have somet style and ours are just stuck up @$$holes.

-SpYrL-