- A South Carolina sheriff has bought 17 brand new 2024 Mustangs for his department.
- Sheriff Leon Lott hopes the V8 powered GT fastbacks will help bring cops and the local community closer.
- Lott has previously bought Camaros and Challengers for his team.
Cops often have to put up with a ton of abuse from angry citizens just for doing their jobs, but there are definitely upsides, particularly if you’re serving in the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in South Carolina. The force’s Community Action Team (CAT) has just taken delivery of 17 brand new Mustang GTs.
While many police forces insist on spending their budgets only on sensible four-door sedans and SUVs, which the department already has, Sheriff Leon Lott has treated his CAT squad to a fleet of V8-powered 2024 Mustang GT fastbacks. He even ordered them without the the usual roof-mounted light bar system, and left the ‘5.0’ badges on the fenders in place.
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Though a fleet of Ford Explorers – which Lott told The State would be no cheaper than the Mustangs – would offer many practical advantages over the two-door coupes, the pony cars have other strengths, and we don’t just mean that their 480 hp (487 PS) V8s haul them to 60 mph (97 kmh) in 4.2 seconds. Lott explains that he chose the cars to help build a stronger relationship between his cops and the community they serve.
“We’re not picking a car just because it’s a cool car to drive, but cool cars attract people to come and build a relationship with us,” Lott told The State. “These are hot cars. Kids and adults see them and like them, and then come up to the car and start talking to the deputy.”
This isn’t the first time Lott has splashed out on a fleet of cars that might motivate more than a few locals to join the police. After creating the CAT unit in 1998 to build links with the community that went beyond just responding directly to crimes, Lott ordered several fourth-generation Camaros, then switched to the Dodge Magnum and Challenger buying another squad of Camaros when Chevy resurrected its coupe in 2010.
Since both the Camaro and Challenger are now dead, the S650 Mustang was the logical place to sink his department’s dough, though images on the department’s Facebook page show that it still has at least one Camaro.
Earlier this year cops across the state line in North Carolina took delivery of their own army of 2024 Mustang GTs. The NC cop cars are slightly more conspicuous than Lott’s fleet due to the black paint being contrasted with silver sections on the sides and tail.
