NYPD prohibits officers from using department's Smart Cars in police pursuits

[smart142 605]

BY THOMAS TRACY

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The NYPD is quite happy with their small fleet of Smart Cars — but you’re not going to see the mini motorized vehicles in any “Italian Job” style police chases in the city anytime soon.

The department has barred cops driving Smart Cars from engaging in police pursuits, even though the Mercedes-Benz vehicles — about the size of a clown car — can go more than 90 miles an hour and can be more versatile than the larger police cruisers, according to an internal memo.

The cars are also not allowed to carry passengers, even though they have a passenger seat.

"Smart cars are not emergency vehicles," the new rules dated July 8 state. "They are to be used in the same capacity as a three-wheeled scooter."

Eight Smart cars were purchased for the department in February at a cost of $119,000 to see if they could replace the current three-wheel scooters used across the city.

One is assigned to Central Park. The rest were given to the NYPD's parking and school safety divisions and meted out to precincts throughout the five boroughs.

Department officials said the Smart cars will be safer and have air bags and air conditioning.

So far the department is happy with the results and plans to purchase about 100 more Smart Cars in the near future so they can begin swapping out the aging scooters.“They were purchased to directly replace three-wheel scooters,” an NYPD spokesman said. “They were never meant to be utilized as pursuit vehicles.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nypd-prohibits-cops-smart-cars-police-pursuits-article-1.2299721

[MikeT 747]

Size of a clown car, I stopped reading right there.

[tolsen 630]

Size of a clown car, I stopped reading right there.

Clown cars can carry an unusual number of passengers.

[Francesco 71]

Given that the most-often used clown car at Barnum & Bailey's over the last fifty years or so has been the Volkswagen [beetle], it's fair to say that the new NYPD cars are smaller than a clown car.

[marchanna 115]

The ED's would probably make great pursuit vehicles . . . if they were faster and had more range!

[MikeT 747]

Umm no, they don't corner all that well...and you can't do a TJ Hooker J-turn in one with the ESP!

[marchanna 115]

I agree, but remember, we can turn the ESP off, and the ED's have a lower centre of gravity