How Dodge Made The 2016 Charger Pursuit Safer For Cops
Wesley Wren
Computers and police cars have always been an awkward match; now Dodge has tried its hand at remedying the problems of modern patrol work with the 2016 Charger Pursuit.
The traditional way to do computer work in a cruiser is to fix a laptop to the dash or console. Sometimes these laptops are on swivel bases, but more often than not they’re fixed. This causes two problems: The computer can interfere with the passenger-side air bag, putting a second officer at risk; laptops can also cause a major distraction while driving. The Los Angeles Police Department was dealing with both of these problems and approached Dodge.
Dodge answered by throwing the laptop in the trunk … well, the laptop and just about everything else that got in the way. Instead, Dodge expanded its Uconnect screen to 12.1 inches and fixed a keyboard to the center console. Dodge also made it possible to tether a keyboard via USB or use a Bluetooth keyboard -- all in the name of versatility, space and passenger safety. The Uconnect screen controls everything that an officer would use: the light bar, the camera, the siren, a phone and anything else a department wants to program into the system. Dodge chose to leave a portion of the system open to allow different departments to customize the Charger.
