i.e. why do they use both explorers and tahoes? wouldn't it be easier to just have a standardized fleet to simplify things? I've always wondered why they use so many different cars just to patrol.

Cost. Sometimes PD's can't afford to have a fleet of Tahoes, but can afford some Chargers.

Lots of departments are still testing cars, too.

Even so, a very diverse fleet makes the department seem larger than it is. If you saw just Exploders driving around compared to CVPIs, Exploders, Tahoes, Chargers, it'd seem like more cops are around.

43 minutes ago, Lundy said:

Lots of departments are still testing cars, too.

Even so, a very diverse fleet makes the department seem larger than it is. If you saw just Exploders driving around compared to CVPIs, Exploders, Tahoes, Chargers, it'd seem like more cops are around.

That's a good point I never thought of, you can be sure you haven't just seen the same cop multiple times if the cars are different.

Not to mention, some cars are better for certain situations.  Have an idiot constantly going off road?  A Charger or Vic isn't really the best option for that, so bring in a Tahoe.

The main reason, in my opinion, is for fleet downtime. If there's a major recall for a single model of vehicle, your whole fleet will be in the garage. If you maintain a diverse fleet with at least two different brands and/or models, you can still have some on the road while the others are in the shop for the recall. Although, this isn't really a common reason since up until about 4 years ago, most departments in my area had fleets with 100% Crown Victoria's and nothing else. But that's also because the cars were relatively unchanged for 20 years and a major recall for them would be rare. 

 

The second reason is for specialized purposes. Some larger vehicles may be needed for supervisors or special operations if they need to carry more gear. 

In Australia it is also because they want a distribution of Ford and Holdens,  mainly. Used to be to support local manufacturers but now that's gone out the window. 

Edited June 17, 20179 yr by Darthdan

A neighboring P.D. has Tahoes, Explorers, Chargers, Kias and Vics with different liveries. They buy multiple cars about twice a year every year and they just get better deals each time from Dodge, Kia, Chevy and Ford. It just depends which manufacturer offers the best deal at the time and they go with that manufacturer. 

1 hour ago, kanejr00 said:

A neighboring P.D. has Tahoes, Explorers, Chargers, Kias and Vics with different liveries. They buy multiple cars about twice a year every year and they just get better deals each time from Dodge, Kia, Chevy and Ford. It just depends which manufacturer offers the best deal at the time and they go with that manufacturer. 

What sort of Kia do they use? Never heard of a police package one before 

55 minutes ago, c13 said:

What sort of Kia do they use? Never heard of a police package one before 

I don't know the model of it, but it's the worst modern American law enforcement vehicle I've ever seen. The guys assigned to them don't like it, either. They said after all the emergency equipment has been installed there's very little room inside.

On 6/21/2017 at 6:41 PM, kanejr00 said:

I don't know the model of it, but it's the worst modern American law enforcement vehicle I've ever seen. The guys assigned to them don't like it, either. They said after all the emergency equipment has been installed there's very little room inside.

Kia Soul?