Tascosa, SASS# 24838 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 This is close to an Alpo question. Im reading fiction Detective stories on my kindle. They all refer to their patrol units as 'cruisers'. We never called our marked units as 'cruisers', we just called them 'units'. Like "where did y'all park your unit," or "can I have the keys to your car. We all knew what we were referring to. Occasionally someone might had asked "are you taking a marked unit"? Never said 'cruisers'. Is that a yankee term? Or maybe an eastern term? Stories are in Washington state, Tenn., Fla., and DC area. \What did you call your marked units? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 We just referred to them as marked or unmarked cars. Occasionally someone would use the term unit but never cruiser. This was in Metro Atlanta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I went to the academy with a guy who had been a cop in Michigan. He called the cars cruisers? In LAPD they call them “shops”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoken D Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Marked, unmarked and yes cruiser such as cruiser 1 which was the chief. Most often used was, "Piece of crap". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 In Detroit, the Cruiser was typically a four man car. IN my experience, we either called them marked, semi-marked or motor (motorcycle). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hollywood Dave Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Hollywood Fl. Unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 We officially called'em, 'marked' units. We also had other names for'em, that I can't post here........ OLG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shoer 27979 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 How many of you Leo's heard them called prowel car ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 6 minutes ago, The Shoer 27979 said: How many of you Leo's heard them called prowel car ? Only on TV- OLG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 A lot a police agencies use pool cars that are driven around the clock by each shift. These cars get crappy really fast. Our agency was very proactive in keeping cars in good shape. Every sworn officer was issued their own car and it was up to the officer to keep the car maintained. The vehicle was inspected monthly by a supervisor. Every 4 years, the car was replaced with a new one with all new equipment. The 4 year old car was put into a pool of cars used as spares for another year and then auctioned off to the public. We weren't allowed to drive cars with body damage on patrol. If you were involved in an accident, you had to turn the car in and drive a spare. We got to drive the cars home and could put our own stuff in them, within reason. (CB radios, Ham radios, locking gun racks, etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawdog Dago Dom Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 All I ever heard was "squad" or just "car." Older troops would use squad. "Bring your squad to Post so the radio tech can work on it." Younger troops. " Your car could really use a wash." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet & Sassy Cindy Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Unit, Marked or Unmarked. Hollywood, FL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 On Fargo they called them prowlers when I worked on them as a radio installer and technician we called them cop cars and they were usually Chrysler products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 We've always just called them "cars" or by whatever number is assigned to that particular vehicle. "You driving 42 tonight?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Creek Law Dog Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 The RCMP refer them as PC's (Police Car) as in "where did you park the PC? or "There are 4 cars up ahead and one is a PC." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc McCoy, SASS #8381 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 In VT they are cruisers, but it may have a designation like "Unit 1". So, generically it's a cruiser unless referring to a specific cruiser. Like an officer had an oil change on Unit 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Rose, SASS #45478 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 In my city they were cruisers. They were also numbered, and might be referred to by that number. I drove car 36 most of my career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Angus McPherson Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 15 hours ago, LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L said: We've always just called them "cars" or by whatever number is assigned to that particular vehicle. "You driving 42 tonight?" +1 Angus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Will Bartell Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 15 hours ago, LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L said: We've always just called them "cars" or by whatever number is assigned to that particular vehicle. "You driving 42 tonight?" Us too. My partner and I would bust on certain dispatchers and answer ‘Cruiser 211’ when called, especially if it was slow that particular night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Car 54, where are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Biscuit SASS#108048 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Maryland . Cruisers is the term we use, even for some assigned unmarked, but when situational we will say run an unmarked or marked car by etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I am not a police officer but I call them "police cars". When they are behind me with the light bar on I have other colorful names for them... and me, for getting caught. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoken D Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 My last 2 years on the dept. I would sometimes work with another officer my age and we would get in service as the, "Geriatric Car". There would be complete silence on the radio being later told all the dispatchers were wetting their pants with laughter, or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawdog Dago Dom Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 32 minutes ago, Smoken D said: My last 2 years on the dept. I would sometimes work with another officer my age and we would get in service as the, "Geriatric Car". There would be complete silence on the radio being later told all the dispatchers were wetting their pants with laughter, or something like that. Hard to beat radio pranks on the job. Our department (back in the day, 1995ish) had two radios, high band (155.XXX) and low band (42.XXX). We had a guy admit during a dinner break that he was worried about the department going with dash cameras. When asked why, he said he had a bad habit of talking to himself when he drives around. We told him they just come on with the red lights, or you turn them on, and he felt better. Fast forward a month, and he left his car at the state garage for maintenance while he was on vacation. "Somebody" taped down the mic button on the low band radio, which went on with the ignition. His first day back he was on the air instantly. When dispatch (and the rest of the shift) quit laughing they called him on high band and asked him to adjust his low band mic. Too funny. And he was right. He did talk to himself quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hollywood Dave Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Join up,,, Free. http://www.boldlawdawgs.com/ see Utah Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizPete Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Seems to me when my Dad was on the job in upstate South Carolina (about a million years ago) they were occasionally referred to as prowl cars, but it wasn't mandatory. I think Dad just called his a car. (And, btw, his partner was Jimmy Stewart -- thanks for the memory) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Chance Morgun Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 On 1/28/2019 at 7:14 PM, Lawdog Dago Dom said: All I ever heard was "squad" or just "car." Older troops would use squad. "Bring your squad to Post so the radio tech can work on it." Younger troops. " Your car could really use a wash." Yep, That's what we called them, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I call it a cruiser. I’ve been know to draw a map to the gas station on the squad room dry erase board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I'm not a, nor was I a LEO. However, I watched Body Cam on IDHD last night and they called them all of the following in Albuquerque: car, cruiser, unit, and car with a number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Louis Suomi SASS #31905 Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 There were referred to as Squad cars in my neck of the woods. We had a police Chief that would send out patrols of three wheel motorcycles (6 or seven in a collection) on a frequent but random basis throughout our neighborhood (it was quite rough with a higher than average crime frequency). These patrols were referred to as wolf packs. We did not mess with the police officers much as they all were try-outs for Gene Krupa playing a drum solo on your head with a night stick. Don't ask me how I know. :-( STL Suomi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 We use cruisers in Colorado. Lots of cop lingo is regional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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