A new column for police-car collectors

Hello everyone. Welcome to a new, regular feature here on Allpar. I hope that you will find this column to be as enjoyable to read as I am going to enjoy writing it. The column will be scheduled to be updated every 2-4 weeks with new information and articles.

This column will be devoted entirely to the collecting and restoring of police and emergency vehicles. While there are several message boards on a few web sites that are dedicated to this topic, this is a first where a regular interactive news and information feature is available on any web site. I sincerely thank the staff at Allpar for allowing me to author this new addition to what is already a fine site. I hope that you will take the time to peruse the other parts of Allpar. Even if your passion is just for emergency vehicles, there are many great features and articles everywhere on the site. This started out as a submission of an article for the SQUADS PAGE and ended up with this regular feature. I hope you take a few moments and read my article on what I consider very basic and important facts on collecting police cars.

I called this an interactive column. What that means is that you, the reader, enthusiast, and collector, or future collector, will have the opportunity to submit questions, suggestions for articles, comments, etc. directly to me right here on the column page and I will be able to address them as an integral part of the feature. I want to be able to answer your questions right here along with the information that YOU want to have featured in each update. Don’t be afraid to submit any questions relating to the hobby because the only dumb question is the one that goes unasked. I will not be able to answer all questions directly back to the author, but I will try to answer as many as I can in the column. Depending on the volume of questions, comments, etc. that I receive, I will try to answer and feature as many as space allows. Please try to limit your questions to what can be addressed in the column, however, if you have a significant need or problem that I can help you with, please make sure that you provide a direct response address and I will attempt to answer you personally as time allows.

So what makes me qualified to author a column about this growing segment of the collector car hobby? Outside of being in public safety in several aspects including teaching for over 30 years as a career, I have been involved in classic cars for many years and a gearhead all of my life. I have been in the emergency vehicle segment for a number of  years now and own two police cars that I and my wife have restored, a 1987 Diplomat, Pennsylvania State Police, and a 1976 Maverick (yes, I said Maverick and I know this is a Mopar site. Sorry), currently a Metro K-9 car but preparing to be remade into a Baltimore Police Department cruiser. The BPD did actually use a Maverick or two back in the day. I am on the board of directors of the Emergency Vehicle Owners and Operators Association as well as being the Police Car Division Coordinator. I have learned quite a bit in regard to this great hobby and I hope to pass on what I have learned, and are still learning, along with the expertise of others I am acquainted with as well. There is a fantastic pool of knowledge and experience that I am able to tap into to bring you the information that you want and need to be a true part of this hobby.

Time to head for the barn. I will be addressing issues of importance to all of us within the hobby starting next time. Start sending those questions and suggestions in. Until then, have a Happy New Year, a safe, prosperous, and healthy one.

 And keep saving those patrol cars!

Police car shows coming up

We do not have dates for these shows yet:

The Verona, New Jersey Cops and Rodders Classic Car Show, featuring classic police cars and hot rods, is held in June, hosted by the Verona PBA. For more info, see the Verona PBA.

The NYC Police Museum Show is scheduled for June. For more info and host hotel reservation info, contact Glenn Sokolofsky.

The Chicagoland Emergency Vehicle Show will be back and looks to be as great as ever. Dates are usually late July/early August. I post more as it comes available, but you can also go to emergencyvehicleshow.com. We covered the 2008 Chicagoland show.

If know of any EV related meets coming up this year, please get it to me and I’ll pass the info along here and on the forum.

Interactive

The interactive portion of this column requires that you sign up as a member of Allpar’s forums - joining our 40,000 members. Or click here if you’ve already signed up.

Other columns

Introduction | The basics of police car collecting | Who are collectors? Why do we collect?

Emergency lighting | Sirens | Where to find retired police cars | Emergency vehicle shows | Investing in police cars

Restorations: Rules and regs for restorers | Chevy Malibu | 1949 Ford | Do-it-yourself bodywork | Do-it-yourself mechanical work

Shows: Chicagoland Emergency Vehicles Show | Aquidneck Island National Police Car Parade (2008 | 2009)

Also see the EVOOA home page

Warning: include(/cars/auto/fleet-bottom.inc) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/dave/public_html/squads/collecting/intro.php on line 24

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '/cars/auto/fleet-bottom.inc' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/dave/public_html/squads/collecting/intro.php on line 24