Police vehicles in the United States and Canada

Police vehicles in the United States and Canada are produced by several manufacturers and are available in three broad vehicle types: Police Pursuit Vehicles (PPV), Special Service Vehicles (SSV), and Special Service Package (SSP).
Police Pursuit Vehicles are the most common police cars. They are equipped to handle the vast majority of tasks, including pursuit and high-speed response calls. Special Service Vehicles and Special Service Package are specialized vehicles, such as sport-utility vehicles and sports cars. They are generally heavier-duty and may come with specialized option packages for specific tasks, but are typically not recommended by the manufacturer for use as pursuit vehicles.
History.
The first police car was a wagon run by electricity on the streets of Akron, Ohio in 1899. Since the 1920s, the New York City Police Department has employed a fleet of Radio Motor Patrol vehicles to aid in its fight against crime within the city.
Ford's introduction of the flathead V-8 in its Model 18 in 1932––the first low-priced, mass-marketed car with a V8 engine––proved popular amongst police departments and led to strong brand loyalty. In turn, this gave the company a market-capturing edge that lasted until 1968. In the 1940s and 1950s, the "Big Three" (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) began to offer specialized police packages with severe duty parts. Foremost amongst these was the Ford package of 1950, which utilized the larger and more powerful Mercury engine in the smaller, lighter Ford. This ended the practice of some state police buying larger and more powerful, but higher-priced models including Buicks, Hudsons, and Chryslers. In 1969, Plymouth took first place in the police market, with Chrysler's 440 cu. in. V8s, Torqueflite transmissions, and torsion bar suspensions giving them a compelling advantage. Chrysler held this lead until the 1970s energy crisis drove buyers to smaller cars, and Chrysler subsequently discontinued their rear-drive platform after the 1989 model year.
In the United States and Canada, police departments have historically used standard-size, low-price line sedans since the days of the Ford Model A, although many police departments switched to intermediates––such as the Plymouth Satellite, Ford Torino, and AMC Matador––in the 1960s and 1970s. Some state highway patrols (including those of California and Missouri) adopted pony cars, such as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and AMC Javelin for use as high-speed pursuit vehicles. The Ford LTD, Plymouth Gran Fury, and Chevrolet Caprice were re-adopted as standard when the models were downsized in the late 1970s.
Since the termination of the North American Chevrolet Caprice model in 1996 (though it would subsequently return in 2010 for exclusive law enforcement use), the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor replaced it as the standard patrol car, however, most Ford Crown Victorias have now been phased out. In an attempt to better combat the threat of rear-end impacts that highway patrol vehicles face when stopped on the shoulder, new models can be optionally equipped with a fire suppression system. Other models such as the Chevrolet Impala (8th and 9th generations), Chevrolet Tahoe and Dodge Charger also gained a percentage of the market. In September 2011, however, Ford discontinued the Crown Victoria in favor of the 6th-generation Taurus. This has helped Dodge reclaim leadership in the market with the Dodge Charger Pursuit, as of 2012.
Non-Crown Victoria police vehicles may be bought to diversify a police department's fleet in order to better minimize disruption should a recall occur.
Despite some (primarily Canadian) jurisdictions electing to use front-wheel-drive sedans with smaller engines––mainly the Chevrolet Impala, the current iteration of which being a V6––the rear-wheel-drive V8 configuration is still widely preferred, due in part to its consistency with pursuit driver training, as well as generally greater reliability. Furthermore, trials with FWD vehicles such as the Taurus and Impala have proven problematic in terms of maintenance costs. In 1994, for example, a Ford spokeswoman noted that "It is certainly true that any front-wheel-drive car would be more expensive and difficult to maintain if you subjected it to the kind of hard use they get in police departments."
Current vehicles.
Subject to federal, state, provincial and local laws, any vehicle, appropriately modified, can be used as a police vehicle, but the most common are those designed or modified by manufacturers as police or special service vehicles. Sport Utility Vehicles have become increasingly popular in police fleets in Canada and the United States. Benefits often cited include extra room for equipment and better outward visibility due to the higher seating position compared with sedans. The following model year 2019 and 2020 vehicles (in various drivetrain configurations) were submitted by manufacturers for the 2019 evaluation by the Michigan State Police and the U.S. National Institute of Justice: 
The Ford Taurus-based Police Interceptor Sedan was discontinued at the end of the 2019 model year, and was not included in the 2019 Michigan State Police and U.S. National Institute of Justice evaluation.
Appearance.
North American police cars were once noted for being painted black and white, But not just limited to black and white vehicles, with the car doors and roof painted white, while the trunk, hood, front fenders and rear quarter panels were painted black. The fleet vehicles that were used typically came painted in a single color, most commonly white or black, from the factory and were used as such. The contrasting black or white color was added to make the vehicle stand out from civilian vehicles. In 2007, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) began converting its fleet back to a black-and-white scheme after decades of using other colors and varieties of paint jobs. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommends, but does not require, that local law enforcement agencies employ a uniform black and white vehicle color scheme for ease of visual identification nationwide.
Beginning in the 1970s, police vehicle markings have become increasingly stylistic, with the widespread use of computer-graphics and vinyl striping. While black and white designs are still in use in many jurisdictions, cars may range from being all white to completely black. Blues and greens of various hues are also frequently used. Brown, beiges, and tans are favored by rural police and sheriff's offices.
Official markings also vary by jurisdiction. The side doors and sometimes the hood of a marked police car usually bear the agency's badge or the city seal, often in reflective finish. Markings such as emergency telephone numbers, generic anti-drug or anti-crime messages, or even website URLs are also common. Some agencies also have identification numbers printed on the roofs of patrol cars for tracking from aircraft, or to distinguish specialized units, such as K-9 units or supervisors.
Currently, in the United States and Canada, the paint scheme for each fleet is determined either by the individual agency or by uniform state legislation as in Minnesota. Usually, state laws exist that establish standards for police vehicle markings, and proscribe civilian vehicles from using certain markings or paint schemes as is the case in California.
Today, most fleet markings on patrol vehicles are created from reflective vinyl with an adhesive backing that is applied in a peel-and-stick manner. Colors chosen to represent the department's identity are typically chosen by the individual department, although, as noted above, some states have specific guidelines for color schemes and markings.
Vinyl used to produce fleet markings comes in large rolls that are fed through a plotter (cutter) or large-format printer/cutter. The designs are created in specialized computer software and sent to the machines via cable link for production. Once the design is cut into the vinyl, the excess vinyl on the sheet is removed in a process called "weeding". Finally, a paper pre-mask is applied to the top of the vinyl design to allow easy application of multiple letters and shapes at one time.
 Many enforcement agencies now use some "ghost cars" or "stealth cars" with smooth tops and minimal graphics for traffic enforcement. These vehicles have markings that are visible only at certain angles, such as from the rear or sides, making these cars appear unmarked when viewed from the front. These vehicles may meet the letter of the law as marked patrol vehicles, but are not as easily identifiable at a distance as a regular marked police vehicle. For public safety reasons, some jurisdictions do not allow officers in unmarked cars to pull over drivers. The graphics on a ghost car, minimal though they may be, are deemed sufficient in some jurisdictions to identify the vehicle as a legitimate police vehicle. Depending on the jurisdiction, such vehicles may or may not be permitted to engage in pursuits.
Models by manufacturer.
Chrysler.
Chrysler refers to its police models as the "Pursuit" or "SSV".
Other police vehicles.
Police departments also use alternative police vehicles.
New Jersey.
The New Jersey state police uses marked and unmarked ford explorers as well as Crown Victorias, and police editions of Chevrolet Impalas and chevy tahoes
North Dakota.
North Dakota Highway Patrol has a fleet of ford explorer and taurus, and dodge chargers 
D.A.R.E..
A number of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) programs in local police departments have some notable vehicles marked as police cars to promote the program.
The D.A.R.E. cars appear at schools and in parades. Typically these cars are high-end or performance cars that have been seized in a drug raid. They are used to send the message that drug dealers forfeit all their glamorous trappings when they get caught. Cars include the Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, and Humvee.
Future.
Ford ceased production of the ubiquitous Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor in 2011. The model was replaced by both the Ford Police Interceptor Sedan and the Ford Police Interceptor Utility. On March 12, 2010, a prototype Ford Police Interceptor Sedan based on the sixth-generation Taurus's platform was demonstrated at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Ford assured law enforcement agencies that it would be in production when the last Crown Victorias were built in September 2011. The car was also displayed to fleet managers from Canada and the United States at the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) exposition in Detroit in April. Months after the Sedan was unveiled, a prototype Ford Police Interceptor Utility based on the fifth generation Ford Explorer was unveiled at Ford's Chicago plant in front of its workforce by the then VP of U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service Ken Czubay. The production of the Police Interceptor Sedan began in 2012 as a 2013 model along with the Utility counterpart.
The Dodge Charger Pursuit was first introduced as an LX body in 2006. In 2011, as an LD body, numerous changes were made to resolve a number of teething issues in previous cars. The 3.6 V-6 engine provides performance equal to or better than the P7B Crown Victoria, with a much better fuel economy. The 5.7 Hemi cars set record after record during yearly testing with the Michigan State Police. In late 2014, Dodge surpassed many of their own records with the new All-Wheel-Drive Pursuit. The AWD version became the only large Chrysler passenger sedan with AWD and the V8. By mid-2016, over 40% of all new Charger Pursuits were AWD.
Prior to the release of the AWD Dodge, Ford held 60% of the police market. In 2015, and especially 2016 (after a price reduction), Dodge gained some ground on Ford, largely at the expense of the Taurus.
The Mobile precinct station in both the models of a 26' trailer and AM General 6X6 military surplus vehicle have been inventoried in specific police departments within the United States.