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ARTICLE SUMMARY
The LAPD uses Chevy Tahoes as command area vehicles and for patrol. LAPD upfits the Tahoes with a variety of vendor equipment, including products from Setina and Federal Signal. The LAPD is mindful of officer safety as well as space limitations with two-officer patrol units.
LAPD and Chevy Tahoe make a good team.
The LAPD has used station wagons for supervisory personnel going back to the Adam-1 2 days of the late-1 96Os. In addition to room for the typical supervisor-specific equipment, the station wagon had room for riot gear - shields, helmets, tear gas, launchers and other tactical gear.
Driven by sergeants, the spacious wagon also served as a mobile command post - an additional radio control head was mounted in the rear. The big station wagons faded from the police scene by the early- 1990s - and were promptly replaced by SUVs. The big news for 1999 was the police-package Chevy Tahoe and the LAPD immediately added the Tahoe to their fleet. The only pursuit-certified SUV at the time, these were used for both uniformed patrol and supervisor vehicles.
Each of LAPD's 21 patrol divisions currently field at least one Tahoe, configured as an Area Command Vehicle. Depending on the need, patrol-oriented Tahoes are also utilized, to supplement the black-and-white sedans on patrol.
LAPD does their own upfitting and with the plethora of law enforcement equipment required in modern police vehicles, the LAPD takes extra steps to ensure all this equipment is standardized. That means any officer from any of the department's patrol divisions or specialized units can jump in any marked vehicle and the equipment will operate in the same manner.
Additionally, LAPD's upfitting takes steps to ensure the police equipment takes the minimum amount of room, as interior space is at a premium since LAPD uses two-officer patrol units. Another upfitting consideration is selecting and mounting the extra cop gear in a manner that will ensure the maximum amount of officer safety in a tactical situation or in the event of a collision.
Enter Vartan Yegiyan, Director of Police Transportation, and Sergeant Daniel Gómez of LAPD's Tactical Technology Section of the Information Technology Bureau. Yegiyan has 30 years of automotive maintenance experience, 25 years with LAPD Motor...