Ford Mustang returns to patrol US highways as police embrace V8 muscle

The Ford Mustang is once again becoming a familiar sight in police liveries across the United States, with a growing number of highway patrol agencies turning to the V8-powered coupe to catch speeding motorists.

After disappearing from frontline law enforcement duties more than 30 years ago, the Mustang GT has returned to service in at least eight US states, where it is being used primarily for high-speed highway enforcement rather than general patrol work.

According to Hemmings, the resurgence follows the end of production of the Dodge Charger Pursuit, which had become a staple of American police fleets. With fewer high-performance pursuit sedans available, several agencies have identified the Mustang as an effective alternative for interstate policing.

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Among the first to adopt the coupe was the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, which introduced 25 Mustang GTs (above) in 2024. The agency has since confirmed it plans to expand the fleet by a further 50 cars.

Captain Zeb Stroup, who oversees the Patrol’s logistics unit, told Road&Track the Mustang’s rapid acceleration allows officers to intercept speeding vehicles more quickly than larger SUVs, reducing both pursuit times and the duration of dangerous driving incidents.

The New York State Police has also added 19 Mustang GTs to its fleet. Public information director Beau Duffy told Road&Track they would be deployed exclusively on highways, where their handling, performance and visual presence are expected to discourage excessive speeding and aggressive driving.

Unlike Ford’s purpose-built Police Interceptor SUVs, the Mustang isn’t available from the factory as a police package. Instead, agencies purchase standard GT models before fitting emergency lighting, communications equipment and other specialist hardware through aftermarket upfitters.

The Mustang previously served American police forces between 1982 and 1993 in the form of the Fox-body Mustang SSP (Special Service Package), developed specifically for law enforcement.

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Australia has also experimented with high-performance police vehicles over the years, although mostly in small numbers.

One of the most famous was the 600kW FPV GT R-Spec (below), commissioned by NSW Police to mark the force’s 150th anniversary. Tuned by touring car legend Dick Johnson, it remains the most powerful police car ever built in Australia and was used primarily for public engagement and road safety campaigns rather than routine patrols.

NSW Police also operated a 430kW HSV GTS, which at the time was Australia’s fastest locally built production car. Powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 capable of 0-100km/h in around 4.3 seconds, it joined a similarly high-profile Ford Falcon GT as part of the state’s road safety fleet, appearing at enthusiast events and community programs while also undertaking high-visibility patrol work.

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Following the end of local manufacturing, NSW Highway Patrol replaced many of its V8 Falcons and Commodores with Chrysler 300 SRT Core pursuit cars. Equipped with a 350kW 6.4-litre Hemi V8 producing 637Nm, the rear-drive sedans were capable of around 280km/h and were specially modified with upgraded braking, suspension, communications systems and automatic number plate recognition technology. BMW 530d highway patrol cars also joined the fleet at the same time.

Victoria Police has also sampled some of BMW’s highest-performance road cars as part of its highway patrol evaluation program. In late 2021, BMW Australia loaned the force a BMW M3 Competition (below) for specialist assessment duties. Powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged inline six producing 375kW and 650Nm, the rear-wheel-drive sports sedan could sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds and joined the force’s existing fleet of BMW 530d patrol cars. The M3 followed an even more potent BMW M5 Competition trialled in 2019, which, with 460kW and 750Nm, was the most powerful vehicle ever evaluated by Victoria Police. Both cars were supplied on a temporary basis as part of BMW Australia’s vehicle assessment program rather than purchased by the force.

In 2016 Victoria Police also with Mercedes-Benz to take delivery of a brand new 430kW/760Nm GLE63 S SUC Coupe (see gallery below), nicknamed the “Road Guardian”, as part of a campaign to raise awareness around vehicle safety.

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Elsewhere, Queensland and Tasmania adopted the twin-turbo Kia Stinger 330S as a modern replacement for the discontinued Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon pursuit cars, while Western Australia recently attracted worldwide attention by unveiling a BMW M4 Competition xDrive Highway Patrol car. The 390kW/650Nm coupe was supplied by BMW Australia for community engagement and recruitment duties rather than high-speed pursuits, joining an earlier BMW M5 patrol vehicle used in Victoria.

Despite their impressive performance credentials, these specialist vehicles are typically reserved for highway patrol duties, where rapid acceleration, high-speed stability and overtaking performance are considered more valuable than the practicality offered by SUVs.