A Sacramento County Sheriff Dodge Charger is taking social media by storm this week, not for entering into automobile chases or any sick jumps, however for displaying up a little bit bit exterior their jurisdiction — over 5,500 miles away in Poland.
Two movies going round social media appeared to indicate a sheriff’s patrol automobile from Sacramento County, California cruising across the streets of Gniezno, Poland. Other than the European plates, the Dodge Charger patrol automobile seems legit, a lot in order that CBS Information reached out to Sacramento County Sheriff’s to seek out out simply how the hell one in all its automobiles ended up in Europe. The division confirmed that the automobile isn’t from the fleet however surprisingly admitted that this isn’t the primary time one thing like this has occurred.
CBS13 took the video to sheriff’s spokesperson Sergeant Amar Gandhi who mentioned this isn’t the primary time they’ve seen this sort of video. The catch: It’s not an official county automobile.
“We first caught wind of this, I imply, years again and seems to be a number of hobbyists in Europe that like to gather American automobiles and repaint them, refinish them with police and regulation enforcement fashion finishes on there,” Gandhi mentioned. “And, fortunately, we’ve change into fairly in style in a couple of nations.”
Europeans have a proud custom of making small pockets of American automobile tradition. Consider folks in Finland’s rock-a-billy “Raggare” scene who favor outdated Detroit scorching rods. The dedication is similar. House owners do them up with full police particulars which might be so convincing, you’d suppose that sheriff’s departments within the U.S. had been sending officers over to patrol. Interest web sites on-line provide homeowners with decals, stickers and logos from departments from all around the U.S., together with the Los Angeles Police Division and the New York Police Division.
Digging round on-line, you’ll discover out this group is fairly massive in components of continental Europe and the UK A few of these homeowners are so devoted they even go for obscure departments from components of the nation you in all probability by no means knew existed. This Reddit publish from November 2024 exhibits a Dodge Charger police automobile in Europe sporting Greenwood, Mississippi Police Division decals. A information article from Florida in 2021 highlighted an English automobile fanatic residing in Scotland who drives a ninth-generation Chevy Impala police automobile achieved as much as appear like a police cruiser from Sarasota, Florida. Even way back to practically a decade in the past this was occurring. A video from 2015 exhibits somebody recognizing three Crown Victoria’s on the streets of London; one was achieved as much as appear like an NYPD cruiser and the opposite two have Texas State Trooper decals.
So what precisely makes these homeowners select these random liveries? It appears it comes down to non-public choice, because the proprietor of the Sarasota Impala, Caleb Keogh, defined to Patch.com:
“I beloved the colour scheme and the shade of blue getting used, and I assumed it was the proper design to place my automobile into,” he mentioned. “That is how I adopted the Sarasota livery to my automobile, and whereas it’s not an ideal mirror picture (there are a couple of variations to the well-trained eye) I’ve tried to duplicate the livery as finest as I can. Naturally, police departments don’t give out the graphic sizes, colours and patterns, so I wish to suppose it’s a superb duplicate of what you’ve gotten and see in Sarasota, Florida.”
Keogh was additionally drawn to the small-town really feel of Sarasota.
“I spent a very long time looking for the proper livery. Whereas there are departments who’re well-known, just like the New York police, who use the Impala, I actually wished one thing that will be distinctive and stand out,” he mentioned. “Sarasota PD was simply that, a sufficiently small division that individuals from exterior America could not have heard about.”
As for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s, the division’s livery appears to be in style with Europeans as nicely. Along with Poland, Sacramento County Sheriff Sergeant Amar Gandhi advised CBS that sheriff’s automobiles have been noticed in Germany, England and Iceland. Whereas doing this sort of factor would land an American citizen in jail for attempting to impersonate a police officer, it’s not an issue for Europeans to do it. European hobbyists advised CBS that so long as they don’t activate the lights and sirens on the automobiles the automobiles are completely authorized. Gandhi even appeared to indicate that Sacramento County Sheriffs are flattered by it.
“They’re very artistic, and once more, we wish to see it. It’s probably not bothering us by any stretch. And once more, if you happen to’re viewing on the market, and also you see our automobile in some distinctive location. Please tell us. Tag us within the social media. We love seeing,” Gandhi advised CBS.