As stories involving pursuit-rated incidents make headlines, law enforcement agencies are reevaluating their pursuit policies.

If your agency decides not to allow them, your stakeholders may be left wondering why you still need pursuit-rated vehicles. It’s important for both fleet managers and their stakeholders to understand what gives these vehicles that title.

Representatives from Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis were joined by two public sector fleet professionals to break down the basics about pursuit-rated vehicles at the 2024 Police Fleet Conference at GFX.

What is a Pursuit-Rated Vehicle?

Before we get into pursuit policy, it’s important to understand what a pursuit-rated vehicle is. If you look up ‘what is a pursuit-rated vehicle’ online, you likely won’t find one solid answer. That’s because the term ‘pursuit-rated vehicle’ is nothing more than a moniker given by OEMs to distinguish between their purpose-made police vehicles and non-police vehicles.

Another term that may scare your stakeholders a little less is duty cycle-rated.

So how do manufacturers come up with what is needed in a pursuit-rated vehicle? They rely on advisory boards, says Mike McCarthy, retired lieutenant of Michigan State Police’s (MSP) precision driving unit.

Advisory boards are made up of officers, fleet managers, and automotive engineers. Together, they work to develop what they can do to make police vehicles better.

“Looking at your use cases is the single most important thing we had to do with the engineering and development,” GM Envolve Government Sales Manager Cindy Towe said.

Pursuit-rated vehicles are made for enhanced performance and with officer safety in mind. Some of the features include reinforced frames, higher acceleration capabilities, and advanced braking systems.

The upgraded brakes aren’t just for stopping power, though that is obviously an important factor. The braking systems have larger rotors, calipers, and brake pads, and are designed to balance the vehicle under the heavy load it has due to the reinforced frame and added equipment.

All of these features come together to give officers the best and most efficient response possible in a way that even performance vehicles can’t.

“Imagine you're sitting on the side of the road and somebody blows by going 100 miles an hour. You need that vehicle to be able to respond at a moment's notice. [Pursuit-rated vehicles] bring all those performance aspects together to perform synergistically. And it’s not about just getting up and going; it's also about immediately slowing down and handling and maintaining that body control of the vehicle during your entire duty cycle,” said Stellantis Law Enforcement Program Manager Ryan Austin.

Law enforcement officers need reliable vehicles that can handle what they put them through.

“For me, it’s not whether you’re going to do a pursuit or not. The most important thing for me is duty cycle rating. Can this vehicle withstand the daily rigorous use officers put it under? It’s part performance vehicle, part office, and part tool that you use every day,” Ford Police Brand Marketing Manager Lindsey Bertino said.

Pursuit-rated vehicles are also made with equipment upfitting in mind.

OEMs understand that agencies need a strong enough battery to be able to withstand the draw required to power lights, sirens, and other onboard equipment. They also have additional wiring harnesses to allow for as much customization of equipment as possible. These are features retail vehicles don’t have.

Additionally, police vehicles from all three OEMs’ lineups have special safety features that retail vehicles won’t have – like inoperative rear door locks and windows, protected idle, and common keys.

How Do OEMs Put Their Vehicles to the Test?

Each year, the Detroit Three submits a lineup of police vehicles to be tested by both Michigan State Police and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. These tests are not required for vehicles to earn the ‘pursuit-rated’ moniker, they just solidify the manufacturers’ claims that the vehicles can do what they say they can do.

Several vehicle performance aspects are tested, including vehicle dynamics, acceleration, top speed, brake testing, and ergonomics and communications testing.

Vehicles also undergo additional testing through the manufacturers to ensure they can meet the demands of police work.

Understanding Pursuit Policy and Why it Matters for Fleet

In recent years, many agencies have been forced to reevaluate their pursuit policies due to controversy surrounding public safety, with leadership weighing whether the risk to the general public during a pursuit is worth the outcome of catching up to a suspect.

Many agencies have adjusted their policies to align with national best practices and standards, which emphasize the need for more controlled and justified pursuit actions.

If you manage a fleet used by an agency that allows pursuits, you are responsible for ensuring vehicle readiness and compliance, Sgt. Jason Brake, fleet superintendent for the city and county of Denver, said.

You must work with your agency to ensure those vehicles have the necessary equipment for pursuits to comply with the guidelines outlined in the pursuit policy.

It’s also a good idea to discuss adding telematics technology to the vehicles if your agency doesn’t already use it. These devices can record data that may need to be used down the line in the event of any litigation, and they can help investigating agencies piece together what occurred during a pursuit.

Vehicles in fleets used by agencies that allow pursuits may also require adjustments to preventive maintenance schedules. Police cars are generally seen more often than some other fleet vehicles due to more excessive wear and tear. You may also need to allow for a higher replacement budget due to the higher threat of vehicle crashes.

A thorough knowledge of the mechanics of pursuit-rated vehicles is also important because fleet managers or technicians can share information with officers to help them become more acquainted with the vehicle and its capabilities. It can help officers handle their vehicles more effectively and safely.

This basic awareness about the vehicle can, in turn, help officers better communicate with technicians when they are running into issues with their vehicle, Brake said.

What if Your Agency Doesn’t Allow Pursuits?

If you manage a fleet for officers that aren’t allowed to engage in pursuits, those officers are more than likely still allowed to engage in emergency driving, reaching high speeds when responding to developing scenes.

“You're doing the same thing — lights and sirens on, aggressively working through traffic, exceeding the speed limit. Wouldn't you want to have the same type of vehicle that's required in pursuit driving as is required in emergency response or traffic enforcement?” McCarthy asked attendees.

At the end of the day, retail vehicles simply won’t hold up to police work the way purpose-built, pursuit-rated ones will. When you explain this to stakeholders who sign off on vehicle replacement budgets, they’re more likely to be willing to allow these vehicles, even if the name scares them.

“Long term, retail vehicles are not designed to stand up to the daily usage that [officers] put on them. Even on a slow day, if an agency is running a vehicle for eight hours a day, think about the work that you put on an engine. Think about what that vehicle goes through and what that engine goes through, and then as a fleet manager, your total cost of ownership. If you don't buy them purpose-built, you end up in a situation where that vehicle is in the shop constantly,” Bertino added.