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That icon of police transportation, a vehicle so sturdy and beloved and ubiquitous that it became virtual wallpaper on TV cop shows and local streets – the Ford Crown Victoria – is dead. The upshot is this: For many police agencies, it’s time to buy a new car. Ford stopped making the Crown Vic four years ago, saying sales to the public had fallen to the point that the car is no longer viable, even if demand from police agencies remained strong. Fuel efficiency (or in the Crown Vic’s case, inefficiency) played a role.

The last Ford Crown Victoria rolled off a Canadian assembly line Thursday, marking the end of the big, heavy Ford cars that have been popular with taxi fleets and police departments for decades. Since 1979, almost 10 million Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Cars — so-called Panther Platform vehicles — have been sold. Demand for better fuel economy and performance has choked off sales over the years. The Crown Victoria and Town Car get just 24 miles per gallon on the highway, a figure matched by some large three-row SUVs today. … The Crown Victoria and its...

Cops shop for new cars after Ford stops making Crown Victoria By STEVEN ELBOW The Capital Times Thursday, January 14, 2010 5:30 am In the near future, you may not see that iconic Ford emblem you may have been unlucky enough to glimpse beneath the flashing red and blue lights in your rearview mirror. Local police are getting ready to move to new squad cars. Ford announced last year that it’s ending production of the ubiquitous Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, which for nearly two decades has dominated the squad car market nationwide. The move will shake up the look of...

FORT WORTH -- A 34-year-old Fort Worth police officer with two young daughters died early Sunday when his patrol car was rear-ended and burst into flames along Interstate 35W. Officer Dwayne Freeto was pronounced dead at the scene. He had responded to a stranded motorist call on southbound I-35W at Morningside Drive around 3:45 a.m. Investigators said the 21-year-old driver of a Lexus, believed to be a Fort Worth man, slammed into the rear of Freeto's patrol car at high speed. Police said they believe that alcohol also might have been a factor. Freeto was trapped inside his burning car,...

PHOENIX - A tabloid promised Monday to give money to an organization for burn victims after labeling as "ugly" a police officer who suffered disfiguring burns in a crash while on duty. American Media Inc., owner of the Weekly World News, which ran a list of the "top 10 ugliest people" in its Feb. 7 issue, agreed to make a donation to the Foundation for Burns and Trauma. The tabloid also ran a post-surgery photo of the officer and his wife with the article. The amount of the donation to the foundation, which provides care to burn victims in Arizona,...

Incident might be tied to eight snipings.ST. LOUIS (AP) - Authorities are investigating whether the shooting of an Indiana truck on Interstate 44 might be linked to eight other possible snipings at motorists in recent months along the stretch of freeway. The truck driver - wounded Thursday on her 34th birthday - was the first person who was injured in nine cases of vehicle windows inexplicably shattering in daylight since Feb. 26 along a 10-mile stretch of I-44 in and near Bourbon, about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis, an investigator said. "There’s no question we had a highway shooting...

AP 2004-10-16 02:31:46 BELLEVILLE, ILL. -- A jury in the first class-action lawsuit filed over the safety of Ford's Crown Victoria police cruisers ruled yesterday the cars are safe, but a judge must now decide if the automaker violated state consumer fraud laws. Class-action lawsuits are pending in at least 12 states over the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a specially built police cruiser -- made near St. Thomas -- that accounts for the majority of police cars on U.S. streets. Since 1983, at least 15 officers in the United States have died in fiery crashes after their Crown Victorias were...

F.O.P. Passes Resolution Calling on Moratorium on Ford Police Cars; Safety of Crown Victoria Police Interceptors Questioned 8/5/03 1:37:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Tim Richardson of the Fraternal Order of Police, 202-547-8189 WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today National President Chuck Canterbury spoke frankly about the decision of the membership of the Fraternal Order of Police to adopt a resolution which calling for a moratorium on the purchase of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors (CVPI) because of concerns about the vehicles. "There have been numerous incidents where law enforcement officers have been burned alive in otherwise...

Another Ford Police Cruiser Catches Fire Officer Escapes Injury In Car Fire POSTED: 7:17 a.m. CST February 5, 2003 UPDATED: 7:51 a.m. CST February 5, 2003 DALLAS -- A close call for one Dallas police officer late Tuesday night. The officer was reportedly trying to jump-start another car on LBJ Freeway when his Crown Victoria police cruiser suddenly burst into flames. There is no word yet on what caused the cruiser to catch fire, but Ford's Crown Victoria is currently being investigated for safety concerns. There were no injuries reported in the incident, and all roadways are clear.

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Arizona public safety officer Juan Cruz was killed in a fiery explosion four years ago when his Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser was hit from behind by a drunk driver. Just two weeks ago in Chandler, Arizona, officer Robert Nelson died the same way when his Crown Victoria exploded in flames after being hit by a motorist. "It was a humongous ball of fire. The car was filled with smoke and flames and it was a big fire," said one eyewitness. In the past four years, in Arizona alone, three law enforcement officers have died after...

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. and the Arizona Attorney General on Friday said the auto maker will install and pay for fuel-tank shields on Crown Victoria Interceptor police vehicles. During a press briefing, Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano said Ford will offer an upgrade kit, which will include the shields. The company also said it will offer an optional trunk package, which is designed to help police officers carry sharp-edged heavy equipment more safely. Additionally, Ford will offer a trunk pattern that can be placed in the truck to show how equipment should be mounted in the trunk. Upgrade kits...