Local Michigan Police Department Uses F-150s for Grunt Work
Acquired over the past couple of years, F-150 pair is the talk of Canton Township, with residents asking for selfies.
When law enforcement turns to Ford for their needs, it’s usually for the Explorer’s LEO brother, the Police Interceptor Utility. Sometimes, though, they’ll add in a couple of trucks for specific duties, from hauling trailers for horse patrols, to laying down traffic cones for a special event.
The Canton Police Department in Canton Township, Michigan, located eight miles away east of Ann Arbor and west of Detroit, is no exception. Novi, Michigan newspaper Hometown Life says the department acquired a couple of F-150s to handle chores around town and highway enforcement.
The 2017 and 2018 F-150 XL 4×4 models are undergoing trials to determine future viability within the department’s fleet. Though they can’t do daily patrols around town due to their size, the older model can be seen parked on the highway, ready to pull over big rigs to check their weight with special scales that anchor into the road.
“It measures the weight that wheel (and) that axle is putting down on the pavement,” said officer Alex McNulty. “You have the overweight vehicles and they hit those surfaces with that heavy weight. That’s what puts the cracks in the roads.”
Both F-150s are used to haul other loads around, such as bicycles and big items that the department would rather not place in the back of their Police Interceptor Utility units. While the 2017 model handles highway duties, the 2018 model is used for training new officers and hauling gear for special cases. Plus, the black truck has a ghost graphic of the department’s logo on either side, which can only be seen in the right light.
“We’re finding that cars are somewhat being phased out,” Canton Police Deputy Director Chad Baugh said. “SUVs are where we’re headed.”
The F-150 pair has found a few fans in the township, who’ve gone as far as to ask for selfies with the black trucks. Others, though, don’t see them as legit police vehicles, due to their lack of light bars and consistent presence on the streets.
“Ultimately, we have to have the trust of the people,” Baugh said. “We’re not going to outfit our entire fleet (with semi-marked pickup trucks). Ultimately, trust is the biggest thing that we need with our community.”
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