Police Cruiser

Police Cruiser
File:Police Cruiser (GTA4) (front).jpg
An LCPD Police Cruiser driven by the Alderney police in GTA IV (Rear quarter view).
Manufacturer: Vapid
Bravado (TBOGT)
Type: Law enforcement
Body Style: 4-door cruiser
4-door sports sedan (TBOGT)
Capacity: 2 officers + (2 suspects)
Top Speed: High
Endurance: High
Appearances: GTA IV
The Ballad of Gay Tony
Based on: First generation Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (GTA IV)
Dodge Charger Police Package (TBOGT)

The Vapid Police Cruiser is one of two main police cars used by the Liberty City Police Department in Grand Theft Auto IV and The Ballad of Gay Tony, the other being the Police Patrol. The Police Cruiser also refers to a Buffalo-based LCPD police car featured in The Ballad of Gay Tony.

GTA IV

Design

Like the Police Patrol, the Police Cruiser can be found at almost any LCPD station, and is dressed in LCPD livery (based on that of the NYPD). It is faster and more agile than the Police Patrol. The Police Cruiser's chassis is also shared with Vapid's NOOSE Cruiser and Taxi.

The Police Cruiser is an amalgamation of various Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, thus probably powered by a tuned V8. It's taillights are similar to those of a 1992-1994 model; the chassis, including: windows, headlights (however upside down, similar to a 1992-1997 Mercury Grand Marquis), and front and rear bumpers resemble those of the 1992-'97 models; and the grille and hood look like those of 1998 and later models. The dashboard instrument cluster is unlike the Ford product, consisting of a tachometer, speedometer, fuel gauge and temperature gauge rather than the Crown Victoria's central speedometer and gauges for fuel, temperature, oil pressure and volts.

Performance

The Police/NOOSE Cruiser is technically the fastest Police road vehicle, but lacks the acceleration to achieve these speeds quickly, taking 6.3 seconds to reach top speed. The vehicle cannot turn well at speed, resulting in poor cornering; on straight roads, however, its performance is generally excellent, its powerful brakes being another positive. The Cruiser is an excellent car for highway travel, or for traversing Algonquin's long avenues.

The Ballad of Gay Tony

File:Police Cruiser (GTA4 TBOGT) (front).png
A Police Buffalo in The Ballad of Gay Tony's Free Mode.

In the multiplayer mode of The Ballad of Gay Tony, there exists a Police Buffalo which is also named the 'Police Cruiser'. It is a police variant of the Bravado Buffalo, similar to the FIB Buffalo.

Use in side-missions

When the player is stationary in any police vehicle they can access the Police Computer (this is done by pressing the L1 button (PlayStation 3), the LB button (Xbox 360), or the E key (PC), which lets Niko search for the most wanted criminals, monitor recent crimes in the area, search the police records and even call for backup. This is where the player can start the Vigilante-style side-missions and the Most Wanted side-missions.

Trivia

  • In GTA IV multiplayer, the Police Cruiser and Enforcer are the only cars used by law enforcement, regardless of one's Wanted level.
  • In multiplayer, the Police Cruiser has a normal radio; the same applies to all other emergency vehicles, and the Securicar.