Police in Texas have a potent new toy to catch criminals with and it takes the form of a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. However, this is no standard Hellcat.
An entry-level Challenger SRT Hellcat leaves the factory with a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 pumping out 707 hp. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) – Southeast Texas Region has revealed that this Hellcat has been upgraded to 1,080 hp and was actually seized before being awarded to the agency by a judge.
The 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye was seized by police in April 2021 after the driver engaged in dangerous street racing and fled from law enforcement officers reaching speeds of 160 mph (258 km/h) and driving erratically, according to Texas DPS. Police cheekily noted that it “went from evading law enforcement in Harris Co. to now catching criminals wherever it roams in Texas.”
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Given its new role in serving the community, the potent Challenger has received a black and white wrap from Black Diamond Customs, perfect for a new police cruiser.
More often than not, high-performance vehicles that join police fleets do so largely for promotional purposes but it seems police in Texas are serious about putting the Dodge to work. Could it be used to catch street racers? That’s certainly something we’d love to see but any officer who has the chance to drive the Dodge should probably undergo some special training to ensure they can handle all that power.
No mention has been made about what upgrades have been made to the Challenger’s powertrain but we suspect it has benefited from the fitment of an enlarged supercharger and some internal changes.
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