Published: May 24, 2008 11:34 pm         

State police start using Mustangs

8 troopers throughout state issued high-performance squad car.

PERU — The Indiana State Police Department recently issued new, high-performance patrol vehicles to one trooper in each of the 18 state police districts.

Each officer was issued a 2008 Ford Mustang GT with a V8, 4.6 liter, 300 horsepower engine and automatic transmission. The Mustangs are various colors and ultra plain in an effort to blend in with normal traffic. They are equipped with interior emergency lighting, multi-directional radar and electronic ticketing system. All equipment is operated by a touch pad system.

The mission of the Mustang program is to reduce the number and severity of crashes on high-risk roadways throughout Indiana. This is to be accomplished through public education and strict traffic enforcement. The Indiana State Police has identified several primary causation factors related to motor vehicle crashes. They are speeding, operating while intoxicated, disregarding a traffic control device, improper passing, following too closely, unsafe lane movement and failure to yield. The high-performance vehicle program is designed to combat such driving behaviors, police say.

Master Trooper Ron Whitney recently completed training unique to operating a high performance vehicle. He is assigned the Mustang to patrol the Indiana State Police Peru District, which covers Cass, Fulton, Miami, Howard, Tipton and Wabash counties.

Whitney, a 20-year veteran, was selected for this position by the Indiana State Police Operational Support Division through a recommendation by the command staff at the Indiana State Police Peru Post. Whitney is a native of Miami County and resides there with his wife, Lenny.

The Indiana State Police first utilized Ford Mustangs in 1988 as an alternative approach to traffic enforcement. Since that time, Chevrolet Camaros and Harley Davidson motorcycles have been used for covert traffic enforcement.

“Voluntary compliance of Indiana’s traffic laws is our main goal,” Whitney said in a news release. “Traffic safety has always been paramount to our district and the department. This program is just another tool in our approach to reduce crashes and save lives.”