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Fla. Sheriff Makes Safety Upgrades to SUVs

The Orange County Sheriff's Office in Fla. has made changes to 85 of its SUVs to improve safety after a murder suspect was able to grab two deputies' shotguns earlier this year.

by Staff
November 22, 2016
Fla. Sheriff Makes Safety Upgrades to SUVs

Photo courtesy of Ford

1 min to read


Photo courtesy of Ford

The Orange County Sheriff's Office in Fla. has made safety changes after a handcuffed suspect was able to grab two deputies' shotguns earlier this year, reports WESH 2

In May, a murder suspect was handcuffed and held in the back seat of a Ford Police Interceptor Utility while deputies searched his car. While alone in the vehicle, the suspect was able to push back the safety partition twice and grab the deputies' shotguns, according to the Orlando Sentinel

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WESH reports that, since the incident, the Sheriff's Office has clarified its policy, requiring deputies to store their weapons more securely. Setina, the partition manufacturer, has provided a metal bar to help reinforce the barrier. The agency has retrofitted 85 PI Utilities with the metal bar.

In addition to these changes, an internal investigation recommended the Sheriff's Office use a lighter tint on its vehicles, which prevented the deputies from keeping sufficient watch over the suspect.


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