Usually a venue for sports cars and autocross races, yesterday the Bremerton Motorsports Park in Port Orchard saw an entirely different type of race; a race to see which test vehicle would be the next official patrol car for the Seattle Police Department.
The department currently relies on the Ford Crown Victoria, but Ford has recently retired this model. Six new police vehicles are currently being tested, the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, Chevrolet Caprice, Chevy Impala, Ford Interceptor sedan, Ford Interceptor SUV, and Dodge Charger. These vehicles have been in the process of being field tested since late March. June 19th was ‘track day’ where the six vehicles were taken through an obstacle course from early morning through late afternoon and were evaluated on well they handled, manuevered and braked.
Moving to a new patrol car is a decision that can last decades, so the evaluation process is rigorous and will last for the next several months. Currently 160 officers are testing the vehicles and providing their feedback. The ultimate decision on which vehicle is chosen will rest with the Chief of Police.
Video courtesy of Daniel Strothman, Komo TV.