29 March 2011

Santa Monica Police Department's '64 Plymouth Savoy

This is a real police car.
Not a clone, not a tribute car, and certainly not granny's car painted black and white. The radio works, as do the lights and siren, it stays in the city's garage with 100 Ford Crown Victorias, and if you do something wrong in Santa Monica, this car could pull you over...


Originally purchased by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), this '64 Plymouth was assigned to the City of Industry station. A private owner bought it from a Sheriff's auction after it was retired, and it remained in storage until 1995 when it turned up at the Pomona swap meet. The person who bought it approached the Santa Monica Police Officer's Association to see if it would be interested in buying the car.


In 1964 the SMPD's cars were purchased under the same contract as the Sheriff's cars, so even though this had never been a Santa Monica car, it was equipped with the same specs as the SMPD's '64 Plymouths. The Association bought the car and had it restored in time for the department's centennial celebration in 1996. Though the department uses it mainly for shows and public relations events, this Plymouth is still a working police car, it just sounds a lot different from the rest of Santa Monica's fleet.

More info here.

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