The California Highway Patrol has officially retired the last of its Crown Vics

via The Mercury News, by Bay Area News Group

Tuesday was retirement day for the few Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors that remained in service, the CHP said.

The vehicle has been part of the fleet since the early 1980s, and it was the sole official vehicle from 1996 to 2012.

In 2011, Ford stopped producing its Panther-platform models — which also included the LTD, the Mercury Marquis and the Lincoln Continental — and the CHP went looking for new options.

In 2013, the agency switched to an SUV, the Ford Explorer Police Interceptor, then four years later returned to a sedan, the Dodge Charger Pursuit.

Car & Driver magazine reported that in 2018 there were about 200 Crown Vics remaining on the road for the CHP.

Some other models associated with the CHP:

• Until the late 1950s, the agency’s cars were a grab bag of U.S.-made sedans. One of the most iconic is the 1955 Buick Century driven by Broderick Crawford in the TV series “Highway Patrol.”
• In the 1960s and ’70s, one model was picked each year, and it was usually a Dodge. Models included Polara, Coronet, 880, Monaco, St. Regis, and Diplomat.
• From 1982 to 1993, Ford Mustang coupes were bought for use in traffic enforcement, as well as the sedan. In 2002, the Chevrolet Camaro filled that role.