The California Highway Patrol has retired its final Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.
Ford Crown Vics have been slowly retired from service since the automaker stopped producing them in 2011. It remains the quintessential American police car and was used by the California Highway Patrol since the 1980s. In fact, the department exclusively used Crown Vics from 1996 to 2012.
To mark the occasion, the CHP shared footage online of its final Crown Vic being taken out on patrol for one final time. Despite its age, it looks to be in decent condition.
Our last Crown Victoria leaves the gate one last time ! 😭😢😭😢😭 It was a Great Run !! pic.twitter.com/ex5LI7Lfda
— CHP Central Los Angeles (@CHPCentralLA) September 1, 2020
Once production of the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor wrapped up, the California Highway Patrol has been primarily using the Ford Explorer Police Interceptor and Dodge Charger Pursuit. The Mercury News notes that in 2018, there were roughly 200 Crown Vics still being used by the CHP.
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“Today at 5PM the California Highway Patrol will be officially retiring the iconic Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor,” the CHP wrote in a Facebook post. “HP ‘Crown Vics’ have been patrolling California’s roadways since 1984. Thank you for assisting the California Highway Patrol in providing the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security to the people of California.”
While Ford still has the police vehicle market cornered, the car manufacturer’s vehicles are under threat. Back in July, a number of Ford employees asked the company to stop producing police vehicles altogether but outgoing CEO Jim Hackett said this wasn’t going to happen. With this being said, budget cuts following the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus pandemic mean Ford is selling far fewer police vehicles than it did last year.