Ford Police Interceptors Become First Pursuit-Rated Police Vehicle to Offer Ballistic Protection

Ford Police Interceptors Become First Pursuit-Rated Police Vehicle to Offer Ballistic Protection Against Armor-Piercing Rifle Ammunition

Dearborn, Michigan

  • US Department of Justice standard Type IV specifies protection against armor-piercing .30 caliber rifle ammunition
  • First pursuit rated police vehicle to offer Type IV ballistic panels in the United States
  • Optional ballistic panels are in addition to the long list of existing safety features available on the Ford Police Interceptor sedan and utility

Ford announced today it will offer ballistic panels on their Police Interceptor sedan and utility with protection from armor-piercing rifle ammunition.

"Ford is well-known in the police community for going further to enhance officer safety. It’s what our product is all about, first and foremost," said Raj Sarkar, general marketing manager, Ford North American Fleet, Lease and Remarketing operations.

The factory-equipped vehicles are the first pursuit-rated police vehicles in the United States to offer ballistic protection up to Department of Justice’s (DoJ) National Institute of Justice standard Type IV.

According to the Department of Justice standard, the description of a Type IV ballistic panel is:

"Type IV hard armor or plate inserts shall be tested in a conditioned state with .30 caliber armor piercing (AP) bullets (U.S. Military designation M2 AP) with a specified mass of 10.8 g (166 gr) and a velocity of 878 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (2880 ft/s ± 30 ft/s)."

While the number of shootouts between police and criminals using high-powered, armor-piercing rifle ammunition is low, they are unfortunately becoming more common.

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