American forces cars

[JohnDeere]

I drove past a full-on American cop car in Huntingdon early this morning. Chevvy Impala (I think), white with US-plates, but British-style blue LED lights (not the blue and reds found back home). It was no doubt on shore leave from RAF Alconbury, but I wonder what the rules are on American military cops driving their cruisers around English towns?

 

Didn't have chance to take a pic, unfortunately, and couldn't find one on Google. But while looking, I did find these very efficient instructions for US military on how to register, insure, SVA and MOT their own cars -- see http://www.rafalconbury.com/newcomers/alconbury_almanac.pdf page 8.

 

It's very common to see US-spec cars round here with shrinky-dinky size UK plates, usually AK prefixed, but I'd always assumed they had diplomatic type rules which exempted them from nasties like UK tax and MOT -- but not at all, seems like the US airforce won't even give them the car till they produce insurance and take the equivalent of the DSA theory test.

[Ross_K]

You can probably drive them around. The blue lights don't need to be covered but don't you have to cover the word 'police' with gaffer tape or something when in public - like replica police cars?

 

It was deffo a military police vee-hickle? And not some Walter Mitty type after buying an Impala off ebay and tarting it up?

[JohnDeere]

Definitely the real deal -- nearly new model, American plates. Pretty sure it had Police written on it too, but it was 5.30 this morning, so memory a little hazy!

[willswitchengage]

Maybe they forgot to put their clocks forward when they arrived over here?

[Ross_K]

Makes sense. But using yank number plates? What's that about then?

[JohnDeere]

I guess on the base it runs on US plates, just odd to see it in civvy street

[Albert Ross]

Perhaps they just nipped out for donuts?

[Mash]

I read this thread title and thought "what is he forcing them to do?"

[dollywobbler]

lol @ Mash!

 

I used to live over that way and it certainly wasn't unusual to see official Yankee vehicles on Yankee plates. Lots of obscure US tin on UK plates, but I'd frequently see a blue minibus of some sort and it was always on US plates. The main US base is Mildenhall, so a trip around the local roads always reveals vehicles of interest.

[Guest]

lol @ Mash!

 

I used to live over that way and it certainly wasn't unusual to see official Yankee vehicles on Yankee plates. Lots of obscure US tin on UK plates, but I'd frequently see a blue minibus of some sort and it was always on US plates. The main US base is Mildenhall, so a trip around the local roads always reveals vehicles of interest.

 

I was near what turned out to be Mildenhall a few years ago and got sandwiched between two Ford Econolines. They had military plates and red flashers, and LHD. Completely Septic spec. It was all a bit weird.

[Shep Shepherd]

When I worked in London, I quite often used to see plain white Ford Crown Victorias/Police Interceptors with U.S. plates on the A40. I presume that they were something to do with the Embassy and were being used by its staff to go to and from Heathrow.

[Ross_K]

I drove past a full-on American cop car in Huntingdon early this morning.

 

One of these? Looks like they use them in Germany and Japan too:

USAF Police cars, Spangdahlem (Germany) by Roger Heële, on Flickr

 

USAF Police by copairforce, on Flickr

 

USAF　POLICE　CAR by FF Shoji2, on Flickr

[JohnDeere]

That is spot on. Looks like I was right that it's an Impala, glad my yank shite spotting skills are up to scratch.

 

I guess the Impalas are a bit easier on the jungle juice than a Crown Vic when they're paying euro fuel prices -- and probably a bit easier to get round the bends on the B-roads near the bases...

[Vin]

I regularly go to Harrogate to see a mate and there is a lot of UK registered American spec stuff there, due to the close proximity of Menwith Hill...the US stuff is obvious, but it's the US spec Japanese and European cars that I keep an eye out for when I'm there...next weekend probably

[Madman Of The People]

I drove past a full-on American cop car in Huntingdon early this morning. Chevvy Impala (I think), white with US-plates, but British-style blue LED lights (not the blue and reds found back home).

 

 

You hardly see the old style red/blue police lights here in the US any more. They're all blue these days.

 

Here's some shots I took of the Chevrolet Impalas used by the Nashville police.

 

.

[Ross_K]

Makes sense. But using yank number plates? What's that about then?

 

Status of Forces Agreement also i suspecgt they aren;t US plates but infact DoD plates or even specific to USAFE...

 

Yeah, I zoomed in on that last photo of the Impala in Japan. The plate says "U.S. Air Force" at the top and "For official use only" at the bottom, so I'd say you're right.

[PhilA]

I drove past a full-on American cop car in Huntingdon early this morning. Chevvy Impala (I think), white with US-plates, but British-style blue LED lights (not the blue and reds found back home).

You hardly see the old style red/blue police lights here in the US any more. They're all blue these days.

 

I guess we're way out of line down here, still all red/blue for the local cops. State Po-Po get all blue, with white etc that they like to leave on at night to blind people.

 

Our Impaler wit the 3.5 gets a fairly respectable 32UKmpg even with my wife's leaden sneakers on the pedals. Comfortable cars to tool about in.

 

--Phil

[JohnDeere]

I was in the same place, same time again this morning, and same police car - exactly as in Ross_K's pics. Must be a regular breakfast donut run...

[JohnDeere]

BTW, Madman and PhilA, since the demise of the Crown Vic, are Impalas now the cop car or choice? I've seen a few Chargers, and one guy was trying to launch a custom-design US cop car based on a Bimmer 6-pot diesel engine, but the Chevvys seem to be winning in this thread. I'll miss getting Crown Vic ex-police taxis with 450,000 miles on the clock, sticky plastic seats and perspex screen behind the driver for the full "feel like a prisoner" experience.

[Ross_K]

It's a choice between the Impala, Caprice and the Dodge Charger at the minute. I think Ford have something new in the pipeline.

 

I remember reading on Hooniverse how the end of the Crown Vic Production run was stockpiled by police forces, so you could see "new" Crown Vics for a while yet...

 

[RichardMoss]

As a foreign military vehicle they will use their own registration system, just as we did when I was in Germany in the RAF.

[chaseracer]

...are Impalas now the cop car of choice?

Info here:

 

http://www.gmfleet.com/government/polic ... /index.jsp

 

https://www.fleet.chrysler.com/fleetcda ... f4e735RCRD

 

http://www.ford.com/fordpoliceinterceptor/

[willswitchengage]

http://www.gmfleet.com/government/police/chevy-impala/index.jsp

 

https://www.fleet.chrysler.com/fleetcda ... f4e735RCRD

 

http://www.ford.com/fordpoliceinterceptor/

 

I don't understand those pictures - I assume that IS how US rozzers decorate their cars, they look so flippant! Imagine being bereaved due to a murder and the 5-0 turning up in one of those to tell you.

 

Saying that it's far more interesting than reading GME's government sales page.