North America Gunman Detective

Jimmy had procured two revolver holsters from the equipment room since nobody used revolvers anymore, causing the previous equipment to gather dust there. As holsters are consumable items, Jimmy simply informed the custodian and got them.

One was a leg holster; he secured his revolver to his right thigh, the drawstring hanging from his duty belt to prevent it from sagging due to its weight. He walked and ran around to get used to it, ensuring it was safe and could be easily drawn before he finally felt at ease.

The other was an underarm holster, not suitable for duty but perfect for off-duty wear in civilian clothes. While on patrol, the bullet-proof vest would interfere with the placement of the underarm holster, bulging out and hindering arm movement. However, once in civilian clothes, a gun could be easily concealed under a jacket.

Previously, the backup gun was positioned near the ankle on the lower leg and was concealed by the trouser leg, but now, using a revolver with a longer barrel, it couldn't be quickly drawn if placed there, posing a safety hazard.

The other backup location was the small of the back, but since he had to drive long hours every day, this position was uncomfortable and awkward during driving.

Jimmy also attached a small pouch on his duty belt, which he filled with a dozen revolver bullets as a backup. Together with the three magazines for his primary weapon, he was absolutely armed to the teeth.

...

Jimmy had grown completely accustomed to highway patrols, familiar with the daily routines and routes. No longer would a fleeing suspect scare him with unfamiliar road conditions that could prevent high-speed chasing.

Cruising slowly, Jimmy mainly looked out for speeding and reckless driving. Sometimes people sped because there were no other vehicles and the road was clear, which warranted only a warning. But reckless driving often involved substance or drunk driving, manifesting as speeding, weaving, or straddling lanes, all of which were hazardous not only to the drivers themselves but also to other vehicles, causing many accidents.

Road rage was another issue. In the United States, road rage could escalate to someone pulling out a gun from their vehicle, a far more severe situation than merely quarreling over a car bump like in some countries; there were many incidents of road rage leading to assault.

"Adam28, the Highway Patrol is requesting support to intercept a vehicle driving recklessly northbound on Highway 430. The car is a black Honda Civic, license plate XXX XXX. Please position for intercept at the Glen Road entrance to Highway 430, ETA is 10 minutes."

"Adam28, copy that."

Jimmy activated his siren and rushed to the highway entrance, waiting there to intercept.

About five minutes later, he could see flashing police lights far down the highway, with a black sedan speeding ahead of the police cruiser. Jimmy started his patrol car, entered the highway, and accelerated to 50mph, preparing for the incoming black sedan.

As the sedan approached, Jimmy sped up and then started to follow behind it. Since the highway had heavy traffic, he couldn't perform a PIT maneuver immediately and decided to follow until there was a better opportunity.

Japanese cars are very common in the United States because they are affordable and fuel-efficient, but one prominent downside is their low top speed limit, whereas patrol cars are customized with a maximum speed of 150mph, 240 km/h, overpowering many Japanese models. If it weren't for the heavy traffic, state police would have already overtaken, eliminating the need for calling backup through the dispatch center.

Jimmy glanced in the rear-view mirror; the state police were just a few dozen meters behind with no immediate intention to overtake. He continued to accelerate, remembering there was a moderate curve ahead where drivers usually decelerate.

Other vehicles, noticing the police pursuit, started reducing their speed and moving away from the lanes. Jimmy watched for the curve, counting down the timing for himself. Upon reaching the curve, he slowed down slightly, then immediately accelerated and rammed into the black sedan. Its rear wheels skidded, causing it to spin and flip onto the highway, while Jimmy sped along beside the railing, followed by the state police who ensured that the sedan's driver had no chance to escape.

Slowing down and turning around, Jimmy returned to the crash site, where the driver was already cuffed and stuffed into the back of the state police car. After greeting the state police and ascertaining there were no issues, he drove off along the highway. Most of what state police did involved interstate highway patrols similar to Jimmy's work, though he typically patrolled within the county's highways and back roads.

Jimmy drove back to the police station, where he had already reported in en route. The car only needed a check on the left front fender panel and left side of the body, and then some repaneling and repainting; it seemed there was no further damage. He transferred his police gear to another patrol car, swapped the radios, organized everything, and set off again.

The police department generally has a few backup patrol cars in stock. These come with basic frameworks like sirens and management consoles, but lack items like radios and patrol equipment. The cooperating repair shop also routinely inspects these vehicles.

This is typical for county police or rural police departments, which are often smaller. Larger police departments have their own maintenance departments capable of detailed repairs and modifications, including adding bullet-proof plates. State Highway Patrol units often don't worry about vehicle damage during PIT maneuvers because their maintenance department takes care of all necessary repairs, and they have plenty of backup vehicles.

Additionally, a little known fact about police cars: in movies and TV series, police officers often open the front door and engage in a shootout. This is because current police cars have front doors equipped with ballistic steel plates and Kevlar filling. However, only the front doors have this protection; rear doors do not. Before 2006, most police cars lacked bullet-proof plating and using a car door as cover from gunfire, especially rifle bullets which could easily pass through, was extremely dangerous, almost akin to suicide, betting on the inaccuracy of the gunmen.

The year is 2000 for Jimmy, so his era's patrol cars, besides factory-mandated structural reinforcements and customizations, are mostly similar to civilian cars in the market, and the era of custom bullet-proof police cars was still a few years away.

Once decommissioned, police cars have all police-specific equipment removed and are repainted to be sold on the second-hand market. Those interested might look into auctions of depreciated items from American police departments.