Texas Police to Buy New GT with Speeding Ticket Dough
Ticket revenue funds the purchase of a brand new Mustang, which promises to make life a little more difficult for fleeing criminals.
Laying Down the Law
Police departments have been using Mustangs to chase down speeders for decades now. But those old interceptor models aren't really around anymore, as the law continues to use more SUVs and trucks for their regular traffic enforcing duties. But now, the Pasadena Police Department is adding a brand new 2020 GT to their fleet, according to the Houston Chronicle. Too bad it isn't a 730 hp Saleen model like the one pictured above.
Photos: Riverside Police/Facebook
Dropping Dough
Reportedly, the police department coughed up $49,275.82 to purchase a new white GT, which is funded by revenue collected from speeding tickets. Clearly, they've been busy pulling folks over in that part of Texas. On top of that, they're spending another $9,270 for emergency equipment and $2k on a custom "patriotic" paint scheme.
Photos: Riverside Police/Facebook
Connecting With the Community
Instead of using the Mustang to chase down speeders, however, Pasadena is going to use it as a tool in community outreach. "It’s going to be assigned to our community services division, and when we go out to community events, we’ll take it out there,” said Police Chief Josh Bruegger. "We’ll take it schools and parades, things like that, and hopefully it will allow us to connect with the young people."
Photos: Riverside Police/Facebook
Building Relationships
Obviously, that's an important thing these days. And Bruegger feels like the Mustang will play an important role in building relationships with young folks in the local community. "It’s about that positive interaction," he said. "It’s important to me to try and connect with the youth; so that when children have interaction with police, it’s not just negative and we can build a positive relationship."
Photos: Riverside Police/Facebook
Common Practice
Of course, this sort of thing is nothing new. Lots of other departments have shiny rides in their arsenal that serve a similar purpose. "I personally don’t know of a police agency that doesn’t have something like this," said Pasadena Mayor Jeff Wagner. "You see Camaros, Mustangs, I’ve even seen a couple of Corvettes."
Photos: Riverside Police/Facebook
Unintentional Funding
Obviously, we're down with the idea. Whatever helps solidify relationships between the community and their local P.D. is obviously a good thing. And if you've ever been handed a ticket in the town of Pasadena, well, at least you can say that you helped fund the purchase of this shiny new Mustang, too!
Photos: Riverside Police/Facebook
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