Police Departments Announce New Vehicles on April Fools' Day

Some companies and organizations celebrate April Fools' Day (April 1) by making playful or absurd announcements. This year, various police departments joined in on the fun, announcing "new" additions to their fleets. Here’s a compilation of this year’s April Fools' jokes.

The California Highway Patrol Merced Area Office announced it would be testing a new tractor/trailer combination patrol vehicle. The vehicle’s height allows officers to easily identify distracted drivers, such as those on their mobile phones. Once an officer locates a distracted driver, he can call another unit to make the enforcement stop or make the stop himself as the vehicle is equipped with emergency lights.

CHP used the joke to remind its Facebook followers about the dangers of distracted driving, kicking off National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. CDL Life noted tractor/trailers are being used by other agencies for this purpose, including the Florida Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The Boone County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Office announced it would be transitioning to an all-Toyota Prius fleet, highlighting cost savings for vehicles and fuel.

“If you think you are going to be pulled over by one of our deputies, please be courteous and just pull over to allow us more time to safely catch up since it will unfortunately take us about 10 seconds to go 0-60 mph,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote on its Facebook page. “For those looking to be arrested, we must provide a disclaimer that it may be a little cramped in the back seat of the Prius patrol vehicles. We may also be asking for a little public assistance this winter from those of you with larger 4-wheel drive vehicles.”

The Ballwin (Missouri) Police Department announced it would be switching to an Aston Martin patrol fleet. “The Aston Martin provides our fleet with the versatility our vehicles will require in the future. The low vehicle clearance coupled with the retractable roof provide many options for our fleet to expand over the years,” the department announced on Facebook.

Last week, Volkswagen announced it would be changing its name to Voltswagen to show its commitment to electric vehicles, multiple news outlets reported. The company later said it was an April Fools' joke.