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How to Organize Your Patrol Car

NCJ Number
204588
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2004 Pages: 18,20,22,23
Author(s)
Brian J. Stover
Date Published
February 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article offers tips for organizing the equipment that must travel in patrol cars.
Abstract
For 8 hours a day, an officers’ patrol car is their mobile office. Even as patrol cars have gotten smaller over the years, they are required to hold more equipment, such as laptop computers, multiple radios, video systems, radar, shotguns, and other police equipment. All of this is expected to travel in the car cab while more equipment travels in the trunk. As such, the importance of good organization in a patrol car cannot be under-emphasized. The author offers tips for keeping the cab of the patrol car clean and the trunk organized. Items such as Posse Boxes and over-the-car-seat paper organizers are recommended. Choosing the proper gun rack to hold weapons is also important because an officer’s guns should be secure, yet immediately accessible. Using a gun rack that doesn’t fit the gun could affect security and accessibility. Finally, different types of trunk organizers are discussed because police equipment that is kept loose in a trunk is difficult to find and may be easily damaged. When choosing a trunk organizer, consider your equipment needs and how accessible some of the equipment will need to be. A listing of companies that manufacture trunk organizers is listed with contact information. Some companies will even custom-design an organizer to fit specific needs. Getting the patrol car organized will free up time and allow officers to focus on the job at hand.

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