Ford Boosts Protection for Police Interceptor
Source Officer.com News
The bulletproofing on Ford's Police Interceptor cruiser is about to get an upgrade.
The Ford Motor Company announced on Thursday that it will begin to offer ballistic panels on the sedan and utility models with protection from armor-piercing rifle ammunition.
The move makes the Police Interceptor the first to first pursuit-rated police vehicle on the market in the United States to offer protection up to Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice standard Type IV, according to a company news release. The standard specifies protection against armor-piercing .30 caliber rifle ammunition.
"Ford is well-known in the police community for going further to enhance officer safety. It's what our product is all about, first and foremost," Raj Sarkar -- General Marketing Manager of Ford North American Fleet, Lease and Remarketing operations -- said in a statement.
Officials said that the addition of the feature came at the request of law enforcement officers.
"Officers globally told us they needed protection from armor piercing ammunition and we added increased ballistic protection to an already great product -- that's continuous innovation," Chief Engineer Arie Groeneveld said.
The Type IV panels are an additional option above and beyond existing ballistic panel protection offered by Ford.
Optional Type III ballistic panels are already available around the United States and are rated to protect against all handgun and non-armor piercing bullets up to .30 caliber as well as special threat rounds identified by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Paul Peluso | Editor
Paul Peluso is the Managing Editor of OFFICER Magazine and has been with the Officer Media Group since 2006. He began as an Associate Editor, writing and editing content for Officer.com. Previously, Paul worked as a reporter for several newspapers in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.
