Police departments buying fast Ford Mustang GT to help catch high-speed drivers

As automakers have stepped away from muscle cars powered by big V8 engines, Ford Motor Co. remains the Last Man Standing with the Mustang GT. And police agencies have taken notice.

It's all about horsepower, baby.

After years of ordering the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro, state patrol agencies in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina confirmed they're adding the 2024 Mustang GT to their fleets. And they're not the only law enforcement agencies doing so. Ford's competitors aren't building these muscle cars anymore.

"Police have found a sweet spot," Erich Merkle, U.S. sales analyst at Ford, told the Detroit Free Press. "We expect to see more sales as other companies have ceded this area of the industry."

Mustang GT sales are up 13% this year to 8,154 through April, Merkle said. "The high-performance Mustang GT represents about 57% of our overall Mustang mix so far this year," he said.

The Mustang GT starts at $43,555 including destination fees, while government agencies negotiate discounts based on bulk purchases.

Andrew Simmons, a government sales manager for Ford, focused on the southeast U.S., said performance and engineering are important to law enforcement agencies and acceleration is really key to doing the job.

"Most of these are used on interstates," Simmons told the Free Press. "They can catch anybody they want. … These go from the plant in Flat Rock to chasing the bad guys. Right now, we're at a fever pitch in terms of interest. Better than 50% of the customers I’m seeing are crossing over from other brands and coming into Ford to buy a Mustang, where they bought other vehicles for the past four to five years. It's night and day how much quicker they go from a full stop to the vehicle they're pursuing."

According to Car and Driver testing, the 2024 Mustang GT clocks at:

• 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds

• Quarter mile: 12.2 seconds at 117 mph

• Top speed: 155 mph

Slow down: Mustang GT headed to interstates near your

"The V8 is a durable engine that can meet the demands of law enforcement," Maj. David Bryant of the Georgia State Patrol told the Free Press. "The Mustang has a faster 0-60 time and a higher top speed than the other patrol vehicles in our fleet. ... Most of the new Mustangs will go to patrol posts that cover the interstate system in Georgia."

The Georgia State Patrol has hundreds of Dodge Chargers, 15 Dodge Challengers and 15 Camaros for high-speed pursuits, and now the agency is adding 15 Mustangs to the patrol fleet, Bryant said. That's in addition to the Dodge Durango, Chevy Tahoe and Ford Explorer SUVs used by state troopers.

"The Mustang has a history with the Georgia State Patrol. Our first Mustangs were used in the late '80s into the early '90s and it is exciting to see a blue-and-gray Mustang out patrolling the Georgia roadways again," Bryant said. "It is such an iconic vehicle, and it has been a big hit at recruiting events."

While police can't expect to catch all speeders on the highway, having a vehicle that simply can't catch a violator leads to frustration, Bryant said.

'We need speed'

A vehicle like a Dodge Charger is used more for such tasks as assisting a motorist with a broken-down vehicle or transporting a prisoner, Bryant said. Ford is steadily delivering the Mustang GT vehicles each week, he said. "These vehicles will go to well-rounded, hardworking troopers."

State troopers in Georgia and North Carolina talked about the importance of speed enforcement and public safety on the highway while, at the same time, working to balance when driving fast is worth it.

"We need speed for speed enforcement and pursuits," Capt. Shane Allen of the Georgia State Patrol told the Free Press. "We’re definitely mindful of the dangers and the liability involved. Of course, we train for those things — in trooper school and annual in-service trainings. We’re not forced to pursue. We’re allowed to call a chase off if we think danger to the public is greater than catching the person at the time."

The longer it takes to catch up to somebody to stop them, the longer a fleeing suspect engages in dangerous and reckless behaviors that may include running red lights or passing in no-passing zones, Allen said. "If we're able to stop that chase, or there's the perception that our vehicle is faster, it can eliminate chases before they even start."

Georgia locals and tourists will spot these Mustang GT vehicles along U.S.-341, Interstate 75 and I-16, Allen said.

The V8 engine meets police needs, Allen said. "Truth is, everything is getting faster. Vehicles we try to stop every day are getting faster, from a Kia to a Mercedes. This is a way for us to keep up with the changes in the vehicle market."

Michigan State Police change policy on high-speed pursuits

Police driving fast is not without controversy. Separate and apart from enforcing the speed limit on highways, public policy and police policy in some states is changing to reflect safety concerns. In March, the Michigan State Police announced a new policy effective immediately that said officers may engage in a pursuit only if there's "probable cause to believe the driver or occupant of the pursued vehicle has committed a life-threatening or violent felony."

In January, two people died in a crash in Southfield after a police chase involving the Michigan State Police. In March, a police officer was injured after assisting with a Warren police pursuit incident. In 2017, the Michigan State Police found itself defending a decision to engage in high-speed pursuit and crash in Kentwood that killed a teen and a college student.

Police told the Free Press that using speed judiciously is part of their training.

“The addition of the Ford Mustang to our agency is yet another example of our state’s commitment to providing the very best in traffic safety through educational and enforcement efforts," Col. Freddy Johnson Jr., of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said in a statement. "Our commitment to saving lives is only possible if we continue to recruit the very best and provide them with the best training and tools to carry out their mission. This vehicle is unique and because of that we developed a thorough selection process along with hands-on training to ensure their safety and that of the motoring public."

His agency has purchased 25 new Ford Mustang GT vehicles, adding to a fleet that includes the Dodge Charger, Chevy Tahoe, Dodge Durango and the Ford Police Interceptor that's based on the Ford Explorer.

"The inclusion of the 2024 Mustang has already generated excitement among our patrol family and communities across North Carolina.  For example, the recent social media posting announcing the vehicles had a reach of approximately 2 million people on Facebook alone," Lt. Zeb Stroup of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol told the Free Press. "These are people who have been drawn to our agency’s social media pages because of this great addition to our fleet, but we can hopefully capture a new audience to share more on traffic safety, recruiting and how they can play a role in our life saving mission."

Troopers point to data that shows speed enforcement cuts fatalities

In North Carolina, police officials see speed enforcement as critical to reducing fatal collisions, Stroup said.

Last year, North Carolina saw 354 fatal collisions in which speed was a contributing factor, he said.

"That number represents a decrease of 7.1% from the previous year," Stroup said. "We want to ensure that we are doing all that is possible to prevent fatal crashes on North Carolina’s roadways. Members issued over 277,000 charges for speed offenses last year on our state’s over 80,000 miles of state-maintained roadway, second only to Texas. The addition of the Mustang we hope will help to continue our positive impact on our existing speed reduction efforts and to serve as a deterrent for those looking to violate speed laws and those contemplating a decision to flee."

In 2023, two North Carolina State troopers made headlines for a crash that followed a high-speed chase. Based on review of traffic safety records, high-pursuit crashes have not been a pattern in recent years.

North Carolina troopers will get special training on the powerful Mustang GT, Stroup said. And their speed is critical to doing the job effectively, he said.

"If I'm sitting on the stop position on the side of interstate, and a car passes me at 100 mph, that's a continuous moving violation," Stroup told the Free Press on Wednesday. "We want to stop that behavior as fast as we can. ... The longer that car continues at that speed, the more the public is in danger. We're going to stop that threat faster."

North Carolina will use the Mustang GT vehicles in areas where speeding is a documented problem, Stroup said. "They're going to be primarily used on the interstate. ... We know at speeds above 70 mph, the likelihood of severe injury or death increases."

More: 2024 Ford Mustang chief engineer learned to drive on a Mustang GT stick, reveals future

More: New York City just spent $11.5M on 184 Mustang Mach-E GT SUVs

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter @phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Police departments look to Ford Mustang GT to catch high-speed drivers