Gordon Graham
Category: Law Enforcement

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. And Today’s Tip deals with safety inspections of patrol cars.

Don’t be afraid to regularly take your unit to your city, county or state vehicle maintenance folks to have them check the brake pads and wheel alignment.

We’ve talked a lot about number of law enforcement officers killed each year while driving patrol cars. While most of our focus has been on our driving, we also need to pay attention to the cars themselves.

With all of the budget cuts of the last few years, patrol cars can sometimes be a sad lot. Men and women from three different shifts jumping in and out of the cars, sometimes driving it “like they stole it” before you get it. At minimum, you should do a pre-shift walk around but a more thorough inspection is even better. Using a tire gauge and checking for proper tire inflation would be smart. Are all of the lights working? Did the  previous driver clip a concrete curb? Realize that you may be getting into a machine that has been abused, crashed, over-heated, under–maintained and generally neglected.

Don’t be afraid to regularly take your unit to your city, county or state vehicle maintenance folks to have them check the brake pads and wheel alignment.

Finally, conduct your driving with an understanding that your car is at best a hand me down and at worst, someone else’s abused toy.

And that is Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Gordon Graham signing off.