- The Saginaw County Sheriff will be driving a 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28.
- It was purchased in an auction using money from a recent drug cartel bust.
- The vintage police vehicle serves as a statement against drug dealers.
The latest generation of the Chevrolet Camaro makes for a beautiful cop car, but what about an older example from 43 years ago? The classic muscle car was converted for police duty in Michigan, using money confiscated from drug dealers.
The pictured 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 is the latest addition to the fleet of the Saginaw Police Department. The donor vehicle was bought in an online auction for $29,000 before receiving all of the necessary modifications, including police strobe lights and a new “Sheriff Patrol” livery.
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Speaking to WNEM TV5, Sheriff William Federspiel revealed that all of the costs associated with the Camaro were covered by a drug forfeiture fund, following a Mexican cartel bust. This means that the vintage police cruiser didn’t require any taxpayers’ money.
In an interview with MLive, the Sheriff explained that he views the Camaro as a “symbol of his department’s intolerance of the illegal drug trade”, giving him the chance to communicate his team’s effort with the public: “People come up to me all the time. They stopped me on the streets, and they want to know what’s behind this car, and I get to tell them.”
Despite its age, the Camaro only has around 50,000 miles (80,467 km) on the odometer and appears to be in great condition. The only problem is that the 5.7-litre V8 engine was detuned to as low as 165 hp (123 kW / 167 PS) in the last model year of the second-gen Camaro due to emission regulations.
The Saginaw County Sheriff plans on using the classic as a regular patrol vehicle, making a statement against drug dealers. Since the two-door Camaro has limited room for detained individuals at the back, the Sheriff will put them on the front passenger seat.
The classic Camaro is not the first cop car employed by the Saginaw Police Department using drug money. Previous examples include a 2010 Ford Mustang GT and a 2003 Cadillac CTS, both featuring stickers to let everyone know they were confiscated from local drug dealer. In the past, they had also purchased a 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 Custom, but they were forced to sell it due to its age.
