A police officer’s job is as important as it is dangerous. But there are notable benefits, including the chance to drive a Dodge Charger Pursuit.
Not only is the new Pursuit an overall badass, but it prioritizes the safety of the officer in a pretty awesome way. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced in a press release Thursday that all 2017 Dodge Charger Pursuit law enforcement vehicles will be fitted with safety technology that alerts officers when there is movement behind the vehicle. Better yet: The advanced technology, which utilizes rear cameras and radars, comes free of charge to police agencies.
“This technology is designed to prevent an officer from being ambushed from the rear while parked,” Jeff Kommor, FCA’s vice president of U.S. sales operations, fleet and small business sales, said in the release. “While it does not replace vigilance, this technology acts as a second set of eyes and provides police officers with added peace of mind when they are in a parked Charger Pursuit.”
When the Officer Protection Package is active, the reverse sensors will alert the officer if tripped and trigger the Pursuit’s front windows to roll up and its taillights to flash. Officers can see behind the vehicle thanks to a camera display.
The package, made possible by a collaboration between FCA U.S. and California-based InterMotive Inc., comes as a result of what InterMotive says is a demand for the technology in light of recent ambushes of police officers.
That statistics appear to bear out that demand. In 2016, 21 officers were shot and killed in ambush-style attacks, a 163 percent increase from the eight ambush shootings that took place in 2015, according to data provided by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Of course, the new Charger Pursuit isn’t the only awesome police cruiser on the road. To learn more about law enforcement vehicles, click here to see our favorite U.S. police cars.
