For Release: Immediate  Date: June 29, 2001

Contact:  F/Sgt. Jeff Winstead Phone:  (919) 733-5027 (ext. 238)

RALEIGH - Speeders beware. The N.C. Highway Patrol is a step closer to putting high performance Chevrolet Camaro Patrol cars on the road. The Patrol is replacing 100 of its older Ford Crown Victorias with the Camaros, which are designed to allow Troopers to close the distance in pursuits quicker and more safely apprehend suspects fleeing from officers.

Beginning next week, the Highway Patrol will be conducting specialized precision driver training for 142 Troopers. Troopers being trained include those who will be assigned a Camaro and alternates who will get the cars in the event of promotions, transfers, retirement, etc. At least one Camaro will be stationed in each of the Patrol's 54 districts. Counties with interstate corridors, large populations, or high traffic volume may receive additional Camaros.

"We selected the Camaro because it will give us the ability to shorten chases and more quickly overtake routine violators, which improves safety for our officers and the public," said Colonel Richard W. Holden, commander of the Highway Patrol. "We hope people who might otherwise attempt to outrun us will realize they can't get away and decide not to even try."

From 1983 to 1997, the Patrol successfully used the Ford Mustang as a deterrant to speeders. The Camaro is currently the only high performance car approved and designed for law enforcement use by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center. The Camaro has a top speed of 159 mph, where the Crown Vic has a top speed of 125. Acceleration from 0-to-100 in the Crown Vic takes 25 seconds, while the Camaro can go from 0-to-100 in 14 seconds. The Camaro is also more fuel efficient, getting 26 miles per gallon on the highway to the Crown Vic's 21 miles per gallon.

"We went through a very careful selection process to decide which of our many highly qualified Troopers would be assigned these cars," said Col. Holden. "Before they actually get on the road, each Trooper will have to pass an additional 32 hours of precision driver training over and above what other Troopers receive."

Troopers eligible for the Camaro must hold the rank of Master Trooper - meaning they have at least six years on the Patrol. They must also meet criteria that show they have good discipline, exercise proper judgement, and have an exemplary driving record.

The Patrol will conduct the majority of the Camaro training at its Precision Driving Facility in Raleigh. However, because the track does not have a straightaway long enough for the Camaros to achieve the speeds needed for proper high speed training, the Patrol will conduct the high-speed portion of the training on an unopened section of US 64 in Chatham County north of Pittsboro. The training will not delay the projected opening of US 64 - which is currently scheduled for the end of July.

"We're grateful for the cooperation of the Department of Transportation and S.T. Wooten, the contractor who built the highway, in this training process," said Major Raymond W. Isley, Director of Training. "Safety is the number one priority for all of us. Using this new section of US 64 for the high speed training allows us to realistically train in the same environment in which the cars will be driven."

During the high-speed training, Troopers will be graded on driving skills such as taking evasive action, pursuit turns, lane control and lane interchange, braking, and handling characteristics. This portion of the Camaro training will take eight hours, and Troopers are being rotated to Chatham County for the training so that tourist areas will maintain their full complement of Troopers during the July 4th holiday period. Troopers will receive the additional 24 hours of Camaro training at the Precision Driving Facility in August.

The Highway Patrol purchased the Camaros at a cost of $20,440.76 each, or about $200 less than the Crown Victoria. Each car is being equipped with the same standard equipment as other Patrol cars: radio and siren, blue and white strobe lights, speed timing equipment - in this case, dual antenna radar, and mobile data terminals (Troopers will transfer their computers from their current cars to the Camaro). The only equipment that will go into the Camaros that is not standard in all Patrol cars is a mobile camera system. In all, the equipment installed in the Camaros will cost $8,959 per car.

The Highway Patrol has instituted a number of policies and procedures over the years in an effort to reduce chases and make chases safer when they do occur. In 1995, the Patrol re-wrote its chase policy to carefully define under what conditions an officer should institute a chase and limiting the number of Patrol cars involved to two. The Patrol also established a Post Chase Review Board, which looks at every chase to determine whether proper procedure was followed and decide whether the officer needs remedial driver training. In 1996, the Patrol began equipping all its cars with Stop Sticks, a device that is thrown in front of a fleeing car and deflates the tires slowly, causing the driver to have to stop. The Patrol also has helicopter units in Asheville, Salisbury, Raleigh and Kinston. Helicopters are used whenever possible so Patrol cars can back off a chase while the Trooper flying the helicopter keeps the car in sight.

Since the Patrol made these changes, the number of chases has been reduced from 833 in 1996 to 350 in the year 2000. The number of fatalities as a result of Patrol chases has steadily declined from 12 in 1996 to 3 in 2000.

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