Batboard

That's right, if you haven't already heard Dodge will be making a 2006 year Dodge Magnum Police Package, that has sparked up interest in many cities PD's already. NYPD announced they will be joining this crowd, I guess they had enough of those Impala's. Check it out!

Friend of mine at whelen said they've been playing with it for a while. I think jim brought up this a while ago. it will be good to get away from the damn impala.

Old news...


The magnum was tested at the MSP vehicle testing in September. It looks nice till the test car hit the wall at over 100 mph due to a computer failure in the braking module..

Right now there are 2 show cars on the circut at all the police chiefs shows..

FFParamedic571 wrote:Old news...


The magnum was tested at the MSP vehicle testing in September. It looks nice till the test car hit the wall at over 100 mph due to a computer failure in the braking module..

Right now there are 2 show cars on the circut at all the police chiefs shows..

The first test car went into the sand and over the bank into the trees, the second had almost the same fate, both were damaged, and they were removed from the MSP tests, as was the third Magnum that was at the tests.

SG

Another damn Dodge product. They've got a good engine, if only they had a good transmission/rear end/interior/car to go around it.

Ah, 6 cylinder 250 HP what a bummer. Got me excited for a minute
reminiscing about the 1st time I started that 440 Fury. Now that was a cruiser!

RadioSouth wrote:Ah, 6 cylinder 250 HP what a bummer. Got me excited for a minute
reminiscing about the 1st time I started that 440 Fury. Now that was a cruiser!

Yeah, but you can option in a 340HP 5.7-liter Hemi V8 (with the bank deactivation technology that kills 4 cylinders under light load). That engine would definitely make the Magnum a more formidable opponent... I only wonder how long it will be until they get wrapped around trees (some cops aren't known for being the most brilliant drivers... give them another 90HP and things could get nasty.)

Now we're talking, didn't see the 8 cyl. Hemi option. I have the 8 cyl. Hemi in my Dodge pickup and it's an animal, can only imagine it in a lighter vehicle.

RadioSouth wrote:Now we're talking, didn't see the 8 cyl. Hemi option. I have the 8 cyl. Hemi in my Dodge pickup and it's an animal, can only imagine it in a lighter vehicle.

The only trouble is, I can't imagine those 5.7L Hemis to be as fuel efficient as the 4.6L Ford modular engine. The bank deactivation would be somewhat interesting... who cares if you only get 10MPG in a pursuit if you're getting 25 while motoring around on patrol (or keeping the heater running while you enjoy coffee and donut )

tvsjr wrote:

RadioSouth wrote:Ah, 6 cylinder 250 HP what a bummer. Got me excited for a minute
reminiscing about the 1st time I started that 440 Fury. Now that was a cruiser!

Yeah, but you can option in a 340HP 5.7-liter Hemi V8 (with the bank deactivation technology that kills 4 cylinders under light load). That engine would definitely make the Magnum a more formidable opponent... I only wonder how long it will be until they get wrapped around trees (some cops aren't known for being the most brilliant drivers... give them another 120HP and things could get nasty.)

Great math skills, 250 from 340 is 120??? While the police can't drive, you can't add and subtract

SG

spectragod wrote:

tvsjr wrote:

RadioSouth wrote:Ah, 6 cylinder 250 HP what a bummer. Got me excited for a minute
reminiscing about the 1st time I started that 440 Fury. Now that was a cruiser!

Yeah, but you can option in a 340HP 5.7-liter Hemi V8 (with the bank deactivation technology that kills 4 cylinders under light load). That engine would definitely make the Magnum a more formidable opponent... I only wonder how long it will be until they get wrapped around trees (some cops aren't known for being the most brilliant drivers... give them another 120HP and things could get nasty.)

Great math skills, 250 from 340 is 120??? While the police can't drive, you can't add and subtract

SG

Yeah, yeah, so it was early. I swear these advanced math classes I have to deal with make one forget how to do simple 'rithmetic.

ohh man more problems

yea, I think it's a bad idea too. Something about a station wagon with a lightbar on it that's not really too intimidating.

PriorityOne wrote:Something about a station wagon with a lightbar on it that's not really too intimidating.

Tell that to a lot of countries in Europe.

one word

UGLY!

Like so much of what Daimler Chrysler is selling lately.

damn thing looks like a mommy ride mini-van rear-ended by a station wagon.

I don't care how much HP or how fast it goes.....

I wouldn't take that as a serious patrol vehicle... ever!

apco25 wrote:one word

UGLY!

Like so much of what Daimler Chrysler is selling lately.

damn thing looks like a mommy ride mini-van rear-ended by a station wagon.

I don't care how much HP or how fast it goes.....

I wouldn't take that as a serious patrol vehicle... ever!

I don't know... the Magnums grow on you. I've even kicked around the idea of considering one for the next ride. When '06 rolls around and their police package is released, they're supposed to have a sedan form factor available, which should directly compete with the CV.

My brother visited a DCX engineering facility last year on a field trip and talked about this HEMI powered all-wheel-drive car---said it wasn't the Magnum, was definately a real car. I can't remember if he said it was an Intrepid or something like that. AWD for PD??? here come the chases...

tvsjr wrote: Yeah, but you can option in a 340HP 5.7-liter Hemi V8 (with the bank deactivation technology that kills 4 cylinders under light load). That engine would definitely make the Magnum a more formidable opponent... I only wonder how long it will be until they get wrapped around trees (some cops aren't known for being the most brilliant drivers... give them another 90HP and things could get nasty.)

The 2005 Magnum is only offered as a Special Service Vehicle, not pursuit rated. It will have the 3.5L V6 as the ONLY available option. The 2006 is supposedly going to be pursuit rated and have the available Hemi.

There is also a new Charger on the way that will basically be a 4-door sedan version of the Magnum. No word if DC is going to be offering a police wersion of that vehicle.

I was looking through a Firehouse magazine last night and saw an add that was for Jeep but it had some new dodge vehicles in it. It had an ambulance that had a dodge chassis that looked like a heavy van simmular to the Ford E-550 chassis. Also pictured was police car sedan that must be the new one coming out.

DT

Let's just hope that Father Chrysler knows how to make a cop car that doesn't blow up when hit from the rear! Perhaps the Mercedes engineers can assist in this matter, as they seem to believe in safety.

I have heard that FORD is planning a Commercial version (e.g., taxi cab and the like), as well as a possible PI version of the FORD 500 for future release. The advantage they have here is that the 500 has an all wheel drive option (since it's a Volvo 80 in disguise!), something lacking to date in police vehicles (short of a full blown SUV). AWD is not necessarily too great for high speed pursuits, but it sure is nice when it snows, or when things get a bit icey. Chaining up is a huge pain in the ass, not to mention the vehicle's handling in pursuit mode with chains!

tvsjr wrote:(some cops aren't known for being the most brilliant drivers... give them another 90HP and things could get nasty.)

I remember reading about cops trying to take 90 degree curves at 120 MPH and killing a car... then I found out they had Caprices with the 5.7L engine when the Vics had 4.6L... yeah...

More power is good, but learning how to drive is better.

They loook like this

nypdcar1 wrote:They loook like this

Honestly, I think that looks slick. And, if the cars are worth a damn, this might be the start of the rebirth where "police package" starts actually meaning something again!

the talk about the Magnum makes me a bit homesick for my first squad, back in 1970.

It was a 69 Plymouth 4dr Belvedere with a 383, 4bbl, 335hp engine 3 spd auto. The thing was awesome, you could light up the tires for blocks...and the department actually had directive forbidding patrols to drag race with them against the local "citizenry".

If I remember right, they (at least mine) came through with the little Roadrunner bird decals and that dumb horn. Also, it had the hood bumps.

And there were a lot of other brands of "mighty iron" out there back in the 60's and 70's.

OH YES: it had a spiffy 2 channel Motrac vhf high band radio, and a Federal? twin Dome light bar with chain drive!

Mike in CT
KM1R
retired PO

OK here we go again guys. I like this Dodge Charger a hell of a lot better then the magnum though. This was seen at the 2005 New York International Auto Show...

tvsjr wrote:. . . Yeah, yeah, so it was early. I swear these advanced math classes I have to deal with make one forget how to do simple 'rithmetic. :evil:

It's that new math crap. They had new math when I was a kid, now they have newer math so I can't help my kid with his homework. Grrrr . . .

Unlike the CVPI, hopefully the Hemi won't blow-up and burn when it gets nicked in its rear end.

CVPI's catch fire (some...not all)...Impalas blow up! (probably the best fate for them).

Never been much of a Dodge fan, but the Chargers don't LOOK that bad. I was raised by Webster's advice
Dodge- v. To avoid.

Heh!

I have to say that I think the whole Ford Crown Vic fire deal is a somewhat bad rap over hyped by the media (as usual). The Crown Vic is the most common car used for police service these days. Since it is the most common police car, it is the most likely car to be sitting on the side of the highway, thus making it the most common car involved in collisions from the rear at high speeds (such as 65 MPH +). You show me just how many cars can be hit at that speed from behind while parked that DON'T catch fire or explode. This rings of the whole Chevy pick-up thing from the 80s and 90s where the news set them up to explode for "actual test footage".

Station House Products
Posted: 02 Apr 2005 13:28 Post subject:
I have to say that I think the whole Ford Crown Vic fire deal is a somewhat bad rap over hyped by the media (as usual). The Crown Vic is the most common car used for police service these days. Since it is the most common police car, it is the most likely car to be sitting on the side of the highway, thus making it the most common car involved in collisions from the rear at high speeds (such as 65 MPH +). You show me just how many cars can be hit at that speed from behind while parked that DON'T catch fire or explode. This rings of the whole Chevy pick-up thing from the 80s and 90s where the news set them up to explode for "actual test footage".

I read an artical that talked about a whole series of tests and acident investigations on the Crown Vic fires. It bassically said that the Crown vic was no more prone to fire than most any other cars of similar size. It was something like 1 out of 70 that were hit at over 70 MPH had the fuel tank puncture. What they did find was that when there was user installed equipment (most common was a star lug nut wrech) in the trunk that that number jumped to 1 in 20 or so. Ford now ships a Kevlar re-inforced trunk tray designed to help keep equipment in a side to side orientation, not front to back.

If the CVPI is not prone to fire/explosiopn when tapped in its rear, then why does Ford now offer an extinguisher sytem in the trunk? That's not an option on any other car.

ASTROMODAT wrote:If the CVPI is not prone to fire/explosiopn when tapped in its rear, then why does Ford now offer an extinguisher sytem in the trunk? That's not an option on any other car.

Because its a " security blanket" I agree with chuck. If you were to look at the comparisons of numbers of rear end crashes of passenger cars and the amount of crashes of police cars. Its going to be higher for PI's because 80-90% of all police cars are PI's

On an other note I have in my shop a Dodge Magnum. Its for a federal agency... Its a regular production model. What a pain in the .... to work on. The battery is in the spare tire well. The headlights take an engineering degree to get out.

I'm surprised the NYPD is already joinung the crowd..I always thought that they take the cheap way out.... because they have so many vehicles... I say take the money (unless it's grant money from homeland security then they cant use it for saleries) give it to the cops give them a salary that they can live withMost of the nypd officers i know have to supplement their income some how.. because they cant live on what they are being paid...
ok i'm done
Gig

Don't fret too much about the salries of NYPD cops. There was an article in TIME magazine indicating that for every one NYPD recruit position open, they get over 100 applications. Of the 20+ out of each 100 applicants that qualify for the initial cut (including background check, polygraph, etc.), only one receives an offer to get into the NYPD Police Academy. That means there are 19 (or more) other qualified applicants out of each 100 applicants who meet all of the standards that would just LOVE to receive an offer to enter the academy.

A similar situation exists across the country for most large metro PD's.

That tells me there are plenty of folks who think the NYPD police officer salary is just fine.

Yeah , i was one of those guys until i saw what the surrounding agencies made...then i asked my self do i want to do this becuase i want to be a cop? or do i just want to have a job for 20 yrs and then get out of dodge... that pretty much answered my question... then i looked elseware... All the guys i know all they do is complain about everything... Yeah there is plenty of excitement and all that..But it was not worth it...I know of a few young lads who are in the present academy who are still living at home... so of course 35k or whatever the salary is looks good to them.. it would to anybody....Town plow operators in my town make twice what an nypd would make you tell me is that fair?
i don't think so....
Yes, i see the recruits on the train all the time looking very crisp and proper I wish them god speed and all the best when i see them...because no one else is.
Gig

Chuck,

I, too, agree that the Crwon Vic fire deal is just the result of a bungh of media hype. There hasn't been a major redesign involving fuel tank placement since 1992. Let's see...just how many cars BESIDES Crown Vic's share that platform? Lincoln Towncar, Mercury Grand Marquis, and lets take into account how many "civilian" Vics are on the road? LOTS.

My theory, hit anything that carries an aluminum tank full of combustable liquid at 65+ MPH (passenger vehicle wise...no smart-ass relics about armored cars and M-1 Abrams tanks, please ) and it can catch fire.

There are thousands of Vic's in police service, world-wide. Not every one in a rear end collision bursts into flames. As for the fire suppresion equipment in the trunk? How much do high end trunk mounted radios, repeaters, data equipment, firearms cost? Fire suppression sounds like a good investment anyway.

If NYPD officers feel their salary is too low, as a capitalist I say, "Fine, look elsewhere for employment." There are tons of young folks who would be only too glad and extremely thankful to have the opportunity for one of these jobs. However, I do not believe that there is any big problem with NYPD salaries, particularly as it is addressed in the TIME magazine article. For every one cop that may choose the option to leave, there are 1,000's of qualified applicants who would just LOVE to have their job, under the prevailing salary structure. As a taxpayer, I conclude that their slaries are just fine. Nuf said.

As to the CVPI, get real. IMHO, they have a serious safety problem with burning up/exploding when nicked in their hind ends. Notice what the Dallas PD has done. The answer will be an all new CVPI, unfortunately not due out in the next 5 years. In the meantime, the Dodge option is a non-starter, as its windows are so darn small that they have severely limited visibility, particularly for police applications. I have heard that this has been a big source of complaint by prospective PD buyers, and it doesn't look like Dodge can do a darn thing about it, as it would require a complete design makeover.

My hat is off to Ford marketing, though, as these boys have continued to absolutely dominate this market for many years.

ASTROMODAT wrote:As to the CVPI, get real. IMHO, they have a serious safety problem with burning up/exploding when nicked in their hind ends. Notice what the Dallas PD has done.

As a resident of Dallas and a freelance photojournalist, I can tell you what's happened is a result of media hype. The impacts these vehicles have sustained would've very likely punctured the fuel tank on just about any passenger sedan (I've seen several of them in person).

What Dallas PD has done is get Ford to refuse to sell them more cars. Dallas is currently putting Intrepids on the street... it remains to be seen what vehicle will be purchased for '06. If Dodge doesn't have a police-packaged vehicle ready by that point, Dallas is pretty much screwed for vehicles.