The early days of police patrol vehicles By: Robert Tate

In 1899, the first police vehicle, which was an electric automobile, patrolled the streets in Akron, Ohio. It was one of the first and few towns to offer automobiles for its police officers. The electric automobile required to be recharged after every 30 miles. During the 1900's, horses and motorcycles were used for patrolling various city streets. In 1908, Harley-Davidson credited Detroit, Michigan as being the first purchaser of police motorcycles. In the early days, police motorcycles were preferred for their maneuverability on city streets and enforcement traffic laws. The motorcycle was also an inexpensive form of public transportation that evolved by police and the armed forces providing a stable production market for more utilitarian machines.





One of the most unusual motorcycle stunts was performed by a traffic policeman who drove his motorcycle through the doors of a New-Day Jewett automobile. A Paige-Jewett distributor located in San Francisco, California remarked that the doors of the New-Day Jewett were also wide enough to drive a horse and buggy through as well.



In 1939, Detroit began using Plymouth safety cars which were equipped with sound amplifiers located in the backseat of the vehicles. Police officers would use the equipment for speech, music, and safety messages.



In the early 1940's, Lieut. Edward Feltentrager, Detroit’s traffic expert, and Mr. Thomas J. Anderson, New York City Comptroller's Office Center, began inspecting new Plymouth pursuit vehicles. Later on, Plymouth models took first place in the Police market. Production of many Plymouth Coupes began and many vehicles were distributed to the police department of New York City, New York. Today, police vehicles are very scarce and are considered collectibles. The price tag on some of these historic vehicles can be quite expensive.

A special thanks to Robert Tate, Automotive Historian and Researcher, for donating his story to the MotorCities Story of the Week program. Photographs courtesy of the National Automotive History Collection. Please do not use any photographs without the permission of MotorCities/Robert Tate. For further information contact Robert Tate at btate@motorcities.org

If you have a story that you would like to donate to be featured as a MotorCities Story of the Week, email Lisa Ambriez at: lambriez@motorcities.org