You’ve seen them in your rearview mirror. You’ve seen them on Cops. But unless you’ve been handcuffed or you’re wearing a badge, the interior of a police car is mostly a mystery shrouded by tinted windows and those weirdly shaped plastic partitions. It isn't a normal car. Not even close. If you take a standard Ford Explorer or a Dodge Charger and strip out the "civilian" comforts, you're left with a skeleton that engineers then stuff with about $30,000 worth of specialized tech.
It’s cramped. It smells like upholstery cleaner and ozone. It’s a rolling office, a jail cell, and a high-speed communications hub all mashed into one.
The Front Seat is a Tech Nightmare
Forget your heated seats and your fancy infotainment screens. In a patrol vehicle, the center console is gone. In its place sits a rugged steel mounting system—often from brands like Havis or Gamber-Johnson—that holds a literal arsenal of electronics. Most officers are staring at a Panasonic Toughbook or a specialized tablet. This isn't for checking Facebook. It’s the Mobile Data Terminal (MDT). This screen is the lifeline. It handles CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) notes, runs license plates through the NCIC database, and shows the real-time location of every other unit in the precinct.
The ergonomics are terrible. Ask any veteran beat cop about their lower back. Between the duty belt—which adds about 20 pounds of gear to their waist—and the way the MDT mount pushes against their right knee, it's a miracle they can sit for eight hours. The seats are actually modified by the manufacturer (Ford’s Police Interceptor Utility is a prime example) to include "bolt luxury" or specialized foam contours. This allows the officer's holster and handcuffs to fit into the seat back rather than digging into their spine.
Why the Lights Are Red and White
Look up at the dome light. It’s not just a white bulb. You'll usually see a toggle for a red light. This isn't for mood. It’s for "tactical" night vision. Red light allows an officer to read paperwork or check a driver's license without their pupils constricting. If they stepped out into a dark alley after looking at a bright white light, they’d be effectively blind for several seconds. Seconds matter.
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The Partition: Life Behind the Cage
If you find yourself in the back, things get real uncomfortable, real fast. The interior of a police car is designed to be hose-able. That’s the industry term. Most departments swap out the carpet for heavy-duty vinyl flooring. The rear seats? Often replaced with hard, molded plastic or fiberglass benches from companies like Setina Manufacturing.
Why plastic? Two reasons. First, it’s much harder to hide contraband or a weapon in a molded plastic seat than it is in a cushioned fabric one. Second, biohazards. People get sick in the back of police cars. They bleed. They spit. Sometimes they do worse. A plastic seat can be sprayed down with a bleach solution at the end of a shift.
The partition itself—the "cage"—is usually a mix of high-strength polycarbonate (Lexan) and steel mesh. It’s designed to stop a suspect from reaching the officer or tossing items into the front. There’s usually a small sliding window, but it’s mostly there for airflow, not conversation. You'll also notice the door handles and window switches in the back don't work. They are physically disconnected or electronically bypassed. You're staying put until the officer lets you out from the outside.
Radar, Cameras, and the "Brain" in the Trunk
If you look at the dashboard, you’ll see the "Stalker" or "Bee III" radar units. These aren't just one-way sensors anymore. Modern systems can track multiple targets simultaneously, coming and going, even while the patrol car is moving at 80 mph.
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Then there’s the DVR.
Most of the video you see on YouTube from dashcams is processed through a unit usually hidden in the trunk or under the passenger seat. Systems like Axon or WatchGuard automatically trigger when the sirens are turned on. They don't just record what's in front; many cars have 360-degree coverage and a dedicated camera pointed directly at the prisoner in the back seat.
- The Siren Controller: Usually a Whelen or Federal Signal unit with buttons for "Wail," "Yelp," and the "Rumbler"—a low-frequency siren you can actually feel in your chest.
- The Shotgun/Rifle Rack: Positioned either vertically between the seats or horizontally along the ceiling. These are secured by electronic locks that only release with a hidden button or a magnetic key.
- The Radio: A heavy-duty Motorola or Harris P25 radio. Even with the MDT, voice radio is the primary way officers communicate during emergencies.
The Electrical Burden
One thing people never think about is the battery. If you tried to run all this gear—the lights, the radar, the computer, the cameras—on a standard Ford Explorer battery, it would die in twenty minutes. Police vehicle interiors are supported by heavy-duty alternators, often rated at 220 amps or more. There is usually a secondary wiring harness that runs to a power distribution block in the cargo area.
If you peek into the trunk of a modern cruiser, it looks like a server room. There are cooling fans, fuses, and thick bundles of shielded wire. It’s a heat nightmare. Most of the "Police Package" upgrades from the factory aren't about engine speed; they’re about cooling. Better oil coolers, better radiator fans, and heavy-duty brakes to handle the extra 500+ pounds of equipment bolted inside.
It’s a Tool, Not a Car
When you’re inside the interior of a police car, the most striking thing is the lack of "fluff." There are no cup holders that fit a Venti latte—usually, the cup holders are shallow and blocked by the radio mic cord. There’s no sunroof. There’s just a lot of matte black plastic, Velcro, and the constant crackle of the radio.
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It's a workspace designed for the worst-case scenario. It's built so that if an officer gets into a T-bone collision at 50 mph, the heavy laptop mount won't shear off and become a projectile. It's built so that a combative suspect can't kick through the door panel. It is purely functional, often dirty, and incredibly expensive to maintain.
Making Use of This Information
If you are a car enthusiast looking at "police interceptor" auctions, or just curious about how your tax dollars are spent, keep these practical realities in mind:
- Check for "Idle Hours": When buying a used police car, the mileage doesn't matter as much as the idle hours. Because of the electronics mentioned above, these cars often sit running for 8 hours a day to keep the computer alive. One idle hour is roughly equivalent to 30 miles of driving wear.
- Look for the Holes: If you see a retired cruiser, look at the dash and the headliner. You will see "plugs" or holes where the equipment was bolted down. Removing this gear is a destructive process.
- The Suspension Reality: Because the interior is so heavy with gear, the suspension is tuned to be stiff. If you buy a "civilian" version of a police car, it will feel like a cloud compared to the bone-jarring ride of a real patrol unit.
- Cleaning Protocols: If you're ever detailing one of these, remember that the "hose-able" floor is great, but water can still seep into the wiring channels under the door sills. Never literally use a hose; use a damp shop vac and heavy-duty disinfectant.
The modern patrol car is essentially a laptop with four wheels and a siren. Every square inch of the interior is dedicated to either data collection, officer safety, or prisoner containment. It isn't pretty, and it definitely isn't comfortable, but it is one of the most complex mobile environments in the world.