Explorer

Make
Ford
Segment
SUV

Ever since the Ford Police Interceptor Utility became the car of choice for seemingly every American police department, the Blue Oval basically had a monopoly. Sure GM and FCA try to participate with Chevy and Dodge patrol vehicles, but the real cars that police officers want to pursue criminals in is the Explorer-based Interceptor Utility. Part of that may have to do with a recent recall on the Chevrolet Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle that fixed a potentially dangerous power steering issue.

Still, we think it's because Ford just loves to keep innovating for the men and women in blue. First the automaker gave departments the option of outfitting their vehicles with bulletproof doors. Next up, Ford added LED light bars hidden in the windshield of the car. These could be activated at the flip of a switch to shed the camouflage of normality the undercover car behind you was just wearing. Now, Ford decided to add another LED light bar to compliment the windshield lights. These are cleverly integrated into the rear spoiler and make it possible for departments to opt for a "slick top." This is when a police cruiser has no top-mounted light bar, making it nearly indistinguishable from an everyday version of the car.

While these LEDs are sure to make all speeders pay more attention, they also serve to add another layer of safety for police, this time cushioning them from aftermarket parts, which aren't always designed up to snuff. Many can impede the view officers have out the back window, but not so with this light bar. "Aftermarket light bars can impede visibility by hanging down over the glass," said Stephen Tyler, Ford police brand marketing manager. "Our fully programmable Rear Spoiler Traffic Warning Lights are integrated into the spoiler, so agencies get their bright red, blue and amber LEDs with no compromise to rear visibility." We would have rather been handcuffed to the Interceptor Utility than the Chevy Caprice.

Check out the LEDs in this video and make sure you become well acquainted with them before hitting the streets in something with gobs of horsepower.