Why Are Police Cars Always Left Running?

We've all seen police cars parked at various locations around Edina, always left running. It might seem like a tremendous waste of gas, but Police Chief Jeff Long says there are good reasons the vehicles aren't turned off, even when the car is unoccupied.

In a recent blog post on the City of Edina's website, Chief Long likened the vehicles to office buildings, trying to explain the reasoning behind a seemingly wasteful decision:

Today’s squad cars are literally mobile offices; we spend 12 hours a day in our mobile office. I actually chuckle when people talk about officers “wasting energy.” That is really “the pot calling the kettle black.” Think of the energy consumed 16 hours a day when most office buildings are closed. Businesses heat and air condition these huge buildings year round and they are empty 65 percent of each day!  We do not ask office workers to shut down the electricity to the building when they leave. Can you imagine turning off all heat and air conditioning every time you leave the building? Think of the energy used by leaving every office building in Edina heated and air conditioned every day of the year … I won’t even mention what is left on in all of our homes!

Chief Long even offers up a story of a time he suffered from heat exhaustion, taking readers back to the early '90s for a look at how—and why—things have changed in the years since:

In 1993, our squad cars were not what they are now. When they idled, the air conditioners would start blowing warm air. Our seats were these horrible plastic, rubbery things that just held in the heat.  I was working in the late afternoon and we came across a stolen car. We watched the car for a while hoping to catch the person who had been driving it. After sitting in my hot car for about 20 minutes, the suspect was able to get into the car before we could get to him. I ended up in a high-speed pursuit that was followed by a 0.75-mile foot pursuit. The temperature that day was in the mid 90s and I had all of my equipment on. I caught the bad guy who was dressed in shorts and tennis shoes.

The bad guy went to jail and I went to the hospital for heat exhaustion. My body quit cooling itself and I lost three days work. I went from a hot car to running in 95 degree heat in long pants and a bullet proof vest. Again, an officer who is too cold or too hot will be inadequate.

To read more of the reasoning behind leaving police cars run, even when they're unoccupied, head over to the full post.

Like Edina Patch on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our daily newsletter