5 Must-Do Patrol Car Checks - PoliceLink

5 Must-Do Patrol Car Checks - PoliceLink

Decent article, heavy on the security aspects, which is good. But I'd add a couple things, particularly for wildland LE vehicles:
* While checking underneath the ride, look for oil or fluid leaks, particularly near exposed fittings like drain plugs and brake lines. Check any skid plates and make sure that they are still attached and not bent to where they may damage the components they are supposed to protect. Also make sure that they haven't collected debris, particularly around the catalytic converter - having dried sage or creosote branches stuffed in the cat heat shield guarantees a fire. An aromatic fire, but a fire none the less. Look for leaks around struts or shocks, and tears in boots. The "inside" sidewalls of tires don't get enough attention, take a look at them for impaled cholla spines, coils of barbed wire wrapped up when driving through an open field, or a really tenacious wolverine.

* Going into winter, have your comm tech, or some one who has a working knowledge of how your radios, data systems and emergency equipment is powered and programmed check your battery and terminals and make sure that they are clean and protected by boots or appropriate terminal protectants. Doing it yourself ensures that you radios will go dead and you light bar will be stuck blinking "SOS." Consider adding a NOAA weather radio to your kit. Your dispatcher is no doubt tied into weather alerts, but consider it like a back-up, particularly if your jurisdiction falls into more than one NWS office district.

* Consider that compact shovel. tow strap and avalanche kit. Pilots routinely carry a "RON" kit for when they are forced to "Remain Over Night," we may want the same