Ohio Police Put A Challenger Hellcat Redeye To Good Use
The Ohio State Highway Patrol has added a Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye to their fleet, but this 797-horsepower muscle car won’t be chasing down criminals. Instead, it’s become the department’s newest community relations ambassador, trading high-speed pursuits for parade duty and meet-and-greets with local residents.
The supercharged beast arrived through criminal forfeiture proceedings, meaning taxpayers didn’t foot the bill for this impressive addition to the police garage. Officers have outfitted the Challenger with proper police decals and installed flashing red and blue lights behind the front grille, transforming a former criminal’s ride into a law enforcement showpiece.
Converting Crime Into Community Relations
The practice of law enforcement agencies repurposing seized vehicles has become increasingly common across the United States. Three years ago, the Texas Highway Patrol added a modified Challenger Hellcat to its lineup, which had been upgraded to deliver 1,080 horsepower after being seized from a street racer who led officers on a dangerous chase reaching speeds of 160 mph.
Pickaway-Ross CTC
Turkish authorities recently created headlines by transforming seized luxury vehicles into a $3.4 million supercar patrol fleet, including Ferraris, Porsches, Bentleys, and Mercedes models. Meanwhile, Italian police have been driving donated Lamborghinis since 2008, using these 602-horsepower supercars for high-speed emergency medical transport and highway patrol duties.
Fast Cars Fight Crime In More Ways Than One
Unlike their international counterparts, who use supercars for active police work, Ohio’s approach focuses on community building rather than crime fighting. The Hellcat Redeye can run the quarter-mile in under 11 seconds, making it capable of outrunning virtually any production car on American roads, yet its primary mission involves showing up at local events and allowing officers to connect with citizens.
Dodge
This strategy of using performance vehicles as conversation starters rather than pursuit tools is two-pronged. Criminals might think twice knowing police have access to such powerful machinery, while law-abiding citizens are excited to see law enforcement driving something more interesting than the typical Ford Explorer or Chevrolet Tahoe.
Â
