In what seems to be a growing trend among police forces across the country, the Indiana State Police have opted to purchase a bunch of Dodge Charger police package cars for their officers. The Chargers are powered by 368hp metric Hemi engines and by all accounts can blow the doors off of the venerable Ford Crown Victoria which has been the de facto police car of choice across the country for decades. If you plan on running in Indiana, you better have the suds to get away!
Chrysler has offered some bad ass police models through the years, headlined by the 1969 Polara Pursuit. When properly spec’d out with the correct rear end gear and an available 375hp 440ci big block, the Polara Pursuit was capable of an honest 147 mph, an astronomical number for the day and more than enough to swallow a 4.11 geared muscle car whole.
The Charger should be capable of 140 mph and from our discussions with some police friends, the cars are as good or better in the ergonomics department than the Crown Victorias.
The moral of the story is that if you are heading through Indiana be on the lookout for a mean looking sedan on steel wheels and most likely wearing a push bar. Also, if you don’t have the Bonneville gears in your car, don’t even bother trying to skate the authorities.
Source — Courier-Journal.com — Indiana State Police troopers turn to Hemi power
