Ford, along with the Arizona Attorney General, has announced several actions to enhance police officer safety across the country but critics say the proposed modifications should be independently tested.
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The actions, identified over the past 90 days through the efforts of a technical task force and so-called ‘blue ribbon panel, include:
*An upgrade kit for the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor package designed to help reduce the potential of fuel tank punctures in high-speed rear-end accidents by shielding key components.
*An optional trunk package designed to help police officers carry sharp-edged, heavy equipment more safely, horizontally rather than longitudinally. In some high-speed incidents, sharp and stiff or heavy objects in the trunk have been rammed forward through the truck wall and into the back seat, potentially damaging the fuel tank and injuring rear-seat occupants. This trunk package also will include a layer of puncture-resistant material. This trunk package will be available to police by the end of the year.
*A trunk template – or pattern – that can be placed in the trunk to show law enforcement agencies where equipment should or should not be mounted in the trunk.
*A new web site to strengthen the lines of communication with law enforcement.
These actions are the result of three months of intense research and testing of police practices as well as developmental work on the Crown Victoria police interceptor.
However, the task force has not been able to begin testing of fuel tank bladders because they are not available from the supplier. Based on previous testing, Ford believes serious technical challenges remain, and Ford cannot be optimistic in the short-term for high-volume, heavy-duty applications of the fuel tank bladders.
However, attorneys and victims of police car fires urged Ford to submit any recommended safety enhancement of its Crown Victoria police car to independent scrutiny.
“While we welcome Ford’s decision to finally act to prevent these tragedies, anyone in a position of responsibility with regard to these vehicles must insist that the safety improvement be independently evaluated,” said Don Barrett, an attorney who represents law enforcement officers in class action lawsuits against Ford in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee.
“Before the State of Arizona or anyone else adopts [the proposed Ford modifications] as the answer to the problem, they should keep in mind that Ford has been playing a shell game with this issue for years.
“First, Ford denied it was a problem until the State of Arizona threw down the gauntlet after its third officer was killed. Second, Ford delayed an investigation more than a year ago by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). Third, Ford has rejected outright at least two new, available technologies shown to offer extraordinary protection from fuel tank fires.
“Any solution presented by Ford must submit to third-party experts before it can or should be believed,” Barrett said.
The City of Phoenix began installing fuel tank bladders manufactured by Fuel Safe of Oregon in its patrol cars this summer and is expected to have completely retrofitted its fleet of nearly 700 cruisers by the end of the year. Bladder technology has been used by the racing industry for years, including in Ford’s Mustang Cobra R. A second technology, called a Fire PANEL, which blankets the fuel tank area with a fire-retardant powder in the event of a rear-end impact, has been shown to be effective at speeds of more than 80 miles per hour.
In a separate announcement, family members of police officers killed in the fires issued statements through their attorneys also calling for independent evaluation of any Ford recommendation.
“We welcome Ford’s efforts, but the consequences of a premature solution to this problem can be fatal. We cannot risk that,” said Ann Marie Nielsen, whose husband Robert Nielsen, a Chandler, Arizona, police officer, died on June 12.
“On behalf of law enforcement, I urge Ford to submit its proposed solution to testing by NHTSA and other third parties, to ensure it is the absolute best protection for officers.”
