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Ford Police Interceptor Vehicles Now Offered with Level IV Ballistic Panels

Being the good guy doesn’t always work out for the best because criminals are resourceful. Furthermore, there is always a possibility the bad guy is armed and dangerous. What can the brave men and women in blue do to better protect themselves against high-power ammo during a life-threatening situation?
Ford Police Interceptor Utility and ammunition 1 photo
Photo: Ford
Ford has a solution to that. Until today, the best officer protection a Police Interceptor had to offer was level III ballistic door panels. Manufactured by BLS to level III specifications of the National Institute of Justice Standard 0108.01, these ceramic panels protect against non-armor piercing ammunition up to .30 caliber. In other words, level III panels are effective against 7.62 mm x 51 mm NATO M80 ball ammo.

Now the Ford Interceptor Sedan and Utility can be specified with level IV ballistic panels. The option above Type III panels is good enough to withstand the brute force of an armor-piercing .30 cal rifle ammo. Yes, that is correct. A frigging rifle, not a handgun.

The U.S. Department of Justice defines the Type IV standard as follows: “Type IV hard armor or plate inserts shall be tested in a conditioned state with .30 caliber armor piercing (AP) bullets (U.S. Military designation M2 AP) with a specified mass of 10.8 g (166 gr) and a velocity of 878 m/s ± 9.1 m/s (2880 ft/s ± 30 ft/s). In plain English, level IV ballistic panels are preferred in situations such as shootouts between the police and lawbreakers using high-power rifle ammunition.

There is no denying that mass shootings are on the rise in the United States of America. Gun violence has taken a dramatic toll on too many communities across the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. President Obama is trying to limit gun violence, but Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms.

We can do many things to prevent more deaths, but until that moment comes, the police will continue to be the ones most exposed to the end of the gun barrel. Therefore, I can’t help but tip my hat to the peeps over at FoMoCo for offering such an option on the Police Interceptor Sedan and Utility.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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