How did the Crown Victoria car become known as a "cop car?" And since when was it labeled as such?

Here's the drill. Car manufacturers love to get their cars approved for government fleets because they can sell a lot of them without a lot of effort. Chrysler, Ford, and GM have all had "police special" or "police interceptor" models at one time or another. It's always a big four door sedan with a big motor and high-performance suspension and tires no matter who built it. Lots of speed, power, handling, and a ton of room in the back seat for criminals. Dodge had the Monaco, made famous in the movie The Blues Brothers, Chevy had the Caprice, Ford had the LTD Crown Victoria. So, when you see a Monaco or a Caprice or a Crown Victoria, you automatically think police car because that's what you see all the time. And Crown Victorias were and still are a very popular model across the country, both the older 80s style and the newer one. There's probably more Crown Victoria police cars than any other brand. People are so accustomed to seeing the Crown Victoria as a police car that when I had mine, a lot of people did a doubletake when they saw it, and I even had one guy run away from me after he jaywalked in Laguna beach because he though I was going to arrest him.How did the Crown Victoria car become known as a "cop car?" And since when was it labeled as such?
Because alot of cop cars are Crown Vics. My dad has one and it drives him crazy cause whenever anyone sees him coming up in their rearview...they all slow down.
Well before it was the Crown Vic it was the Chevy Caprice before that it was the Plymouth Fury before that it was A Dodge not sure of the make. Basically these are production cars with the optional police package. The Crown Vic is just one of the last large sedans out there. If you're going to ram somebody off the road you want a little weight and steel with you.How did the Crown Victoria car become known as a "cop car?" And since when was it labeled as such?
Because it is/was a popular model for cop cars....as for your second question, I'm going to guess that happened when it started being used for cop cars.
Me again:

has the drill down. anywhere from .1999 up.



Police Interceptors



2006 Ford Crown Victoria Police InterceptorThe law enforcement version of the 1999 and up Crown Victoria is known as the Police Interceptor, and many taxi companies use this "heavy duty" version as well. Prior to 1999, the police cars were officially known as the P71 Crown Victoria. The changes made in 1999 included a new rear fascia insignia, an all-black trim scheme which included replacing the color-keyed trunklid panels with black ones, and a black grille. Further refinements were made in 2001, including deletion of all trim on the plastic bumper pieces, and a honeycomb-style grille, replacing a slat-style grille as is found on standard Crown Victorias. Another difference between the civilian version and the Police Interceptor is that the back seats of the latter are built with the back and bottom portions as a single piece with no space in between them for back-seat occupants to hide objects.





2004 "P71" tube (so named for Ford's ID number for the model) and 2003 Marauder airbox retrofitted in 2000 Ford Crown VictoriaThe 2004-2005 Police Interceptor (referred to many as CVPIs, P71s) are rated for 250 hp (186 kW) because of the addition of a new air intake system. This includes a new air box that resembles the Mercury Marauder airbox (raised airbox lid, deeper bottom) with an integrated 80mm mass air flow (MAF) sensor that is part of the airbox lid. This allows for much more precise flow calibration and reduces the chances of air leakage. P71 zip tube (the flexible rubber hose between the throttle body and MAF outlet) is also used to reduce NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) as well as transfer air from the airbox to the throttle body with minimal flow resistance. Kevlar-lined front doors, which might be useful as protective barriers during gun fights, are optional on the Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, new for 2006 Model Year. Following the criticism of fires following rear-end collisions, in 2005 the Crown Victoria Police Interceptors now come with an optional automatic fire suppression system and special "trunk packs" designed to help prevent trunk contents from piercing the fuel tank in a collision.



There were some problems with early 2003 Police Interceptor. The newly designed steel wheels would rust and fall out, the rack and pinion units would fail early (sub-10k miles), and the rear axles would wear out and possibly fall out as well. This was not limited to the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. Some 2003 Mercury Marauders were also affected. Luckily, this was only for very early 2003 models as the problems appear to have been fixed for newer models.



"P71" is the designation for the Police Interceptor. The code appears in the Vehicle Identification Number and distinguishes it from the commercial (P72), standard civilian (P73) and luxury civilian (P74) models.How did the Crown Victoria car become known as a "cop car?" And since when was it labeled as such?
Here is a good article anout the Crown Victoria.