NCJ Number
13986
Date Published
1977
Length
133 pages
Annotation
SUMMARY OF ANSWERS REGARDING PURCHASING PRACTICES, ACCESSORIES USUALLY SELECTED, EQUIPMENT STORED IN THE CAR, PATTERNS OF USE, AND NEEDS FOR PATROLCAR STANDARDS.
Abstract
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE ASKED THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES GROUP OF THE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS DIVISION AT THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS TO GATHER INFORMATION FROM THE USERS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EQUIPMENT ABOUT THEIR SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT NEEDS AND PROBLEMS. ONE OF A SERIES OF SEVEN REPORTS RESULTING FROM THIS NATIONWIDE MAIL SURVEY OF A STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLE OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS, THE PRESENT REPORT OUTLINES METHODOLOGIES AND SUMMARIZES THE ANSWERS OF 449 POLICE DEPARTMENTS CONCERNING THEIR PATROLCARS. THE DATA ARE PRESENTED BY ALL RESPONDING DEPARTMENTS AND BY SEVEN DEPARTMENT TYPES, RESPONSES TO EACH QUESTION ARE DISCUSSED SEPARATELY. APPENDED MATERIAL INCLUDES A COPY OF THE PATROLCARS QUESTIONNAIRE AND NUMEROUS RAW DATA TABLES. BASED ON THE RESPONSES, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 16,000 PATROLCARS WERE BEING USED BY POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1972. NINETENTHS OF THE DEPARTMENTS SAID THEIR PATROLCARS GOT LESS THAN 12 MILES PER GALLON OF GASOLINE. THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND ENGINE WERE CHOSEN BY MORE THAN HALF THE RESPONDING DEPARTMENTS AS THE AREAS REQUIRING THE MOST SERVICE AND REPAIR. THE TWO SYSTEMS OR ASPECTS OF PATROLCARS MOST OFTEN CHOSEN AS NEEDING STANDARDS WERE THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND THE STABILITY AND CONTROL OF THE PATROLCAR. MORE THAN THREE-FOURTHS OF DEPARTMENTS FELT THAT SEPARATE SAFETY STANDARDS, DIFFERENT FROM THOSE FOR CIVILIAN CARS, WERE NEEDED FOR PATROLCARS. (SNI ABSTRACT) FOR OTHER VOLUMES, SEE NCJ-35358, 15152, 15247, 15211, 15210 AND 15154.