Police Officers Use Solar-Powered Cars to Fight Crime

Tough times call for ingenious measures. Apparently, this is what the Jacksonville police have in mind, since they conveniently exploit clean green solar power to recharge the 12-volt batteries of their cars, in a cost-effective, eco-friendly manner.

Solar panels prove to be a trust-worthy ally in preserving money and cutting down the amount of gas previously required by the vehicles. Usually, the Chevrolet Impala comes equipped with a V-6 gasoline engine and a 12-volt battery.

All the special features displayed by a police car, like emergency lights, have to be supplied with extra power and normally drain the battery in no time.

This is why the Jacksonville police have thought about ways of harnessing clean, green solar power to decrease costs, an initiative widely exploited nowadays, mostly due to the low prices of photovoltaic panels.

Since Chevrolet doesn't offer integrated PV for its fleet, other police departments have decided to follow the path drawn up by Kingsland authorities, who have applied 5-watt solar panels for 45 of the vehicles commonly used during their missions.

Each panel costs $60 (€46), a rather small investment that proves its value in time. Surprisingly, the financial investment required for this project comes from confiscated drug money.

After analyzing the benefits, Anthony Turley, fleet coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office, has decided that 90 Jacksonville patrol cars have to experience the same eco-friendly 'makeover.'

“Even when the car is off, it drains the batteries. We were trying to see not just what was cost-effective but also gave the most solar energy,” explained Turley for Jacksonville.com.

Apparently, solar panels are reliable and efficient, enabling petrol cars to use the emergency lights for approximately three hours. Even though budget cuts, taken into consideration for 2012, will keep the new petrol cars far away from the solar panels, Turley is thinking about smaller affordable solar chargers.