Ford will soon be offering doors on its Police Interceptor sedans and SUVs loaded with some new technology. In a first for police cars, the new doors will be designed to protect officers against armor-piercing bullets.
Ford officials say report have been working on the bulletproofing upgrade for their police vehicles for more than a year. The protection from bullets was accomplished by creating two layers of protection: ceramic tiles and a Kevlar-type material known for stopping bullet strikes.
The new construction was challenging for engineers because there little available space in doors for more panels, and the extra protection adds weight, according to Randy Freiburger, Ford’s special vehicle engineering supervisor. The heavier doors were tested on machines that repeated more than 100,000 slams to make sure the vehicle’s door hinges would endure the use in the real world.
Michigan State Police officers tested the armor by shooting at the doors with high-powered rifles. The goal was to meet what the Justice Department defines as level IV protection, which is the ability to resist .30-caliber armor-piercing bullets.
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