Ford to Police: get lost!

The troll got some bites.

For those who'd rather not deal with a lengthy registration just to see a story, I'll post. What this has to do with the current thread though, I'm not sure.

Car crash hurts three responding city officers

BY AMANDA MILKOVITS Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Three police officers were hurt when two cruisers collided while rushing to a call about gunshots near a Broad Street nightclub at around 1 a.m. yesterday.

They were trying to help two other police officers, who were dealing with a disturbance outside Club Caribe, when someone fired a gun a few feet away on Lenox Avenue. The large crowd outside the nightclub heard the gunshots and ran, and one of the officers hit his panic button to immediately call for help.

And, help was on the way. Officers all over the district sped to the nightclub. But before they could get to the scene, Patrolwoman Marsha Pitrone and Patrolmen Martin Hames and Shawn Kennedy crashed their cruisers into each other just a few blocks away.

Pitrone drove down Elmwood Avenue, while Kennedy headed up Potters Avenue, with Hames in the passenger seat, according to a police report. Blue lights flashing and sirens going, the cruisers crashed in the middle of the intersection.

The impact sent the patrolmen's cruiser fishtailing up onto the sidewalk and into a van that was trying to turn onto Elmwood Avenue, the police said. Pitrone's cruiser spun around in the street.

All three were treated at Rhode Island Hospital and released later yesterday, Capt. Richard Tarlaian said. The other motorist, Stanley Johnson Jr., 32, of Cranston, wasn't injured. The cruisers were heavily damaged.

It was unknown yesterday when the three would return to work or whether any would face disciplinary action. Pitrone, 37, has been on the police force for four years; the two patrolmen graduated from the Providence Police Training Academy last summer. Kennedy, 29, is the son of Maj. Paul Kennedy, and Hames, 28, is the son of Capt. Martin F. Hames.

At the Lenox Avenue incident, the police never found the gun or the shooter. However, one officer at the nightclub ended up in a fight with one man while they were trying to apprehend his brother.

A woman had pointed to a man she said was the shooter, and when Patrolman Dwight Eddy saw him reach into his pants while holding an unidentified object, he drew his gun and ordered the man to the ground, the police said.

That's when Dion Robinson, 18, the man's brother, allegedly came after Eddy and told him to let his brother go. Patrolman Christopher Owens grabbed Robinson to move him away, but Robinson allegedly shoved the officer and tried to punch him. Owens struck Robinson with his baton, which Robinson allegedly tried to grab away from him. Owens and Robinson ended up fighting on the ground, until other officers arrived and helped subdue Robinson.

The police found that Robinson's brother wasn't involved in the shooting; however, Robinson was arrested.

Robinson, of 5 Dresser St., was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.

For those who'd rather not deal with a lengthy registration just to see a story, I'll post. What this has to do with the current thread though, I'm not sure.

Car crash hurts three responding city officers

BY AMANDA MILKOVITS Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Three police officers were hurt when two cruisers collided while rushing to a call about gunshots near a Broad Street nightclub at around 1 a.m. yesterday.

They were trying to help two other police officers, who were dealing with a disturbance outside Club Caribe, when someone fired a gun a few feet away on Lenox Avenue. The large crowd outside the nightclub heard the gunshots and ran, and one of the officers hit his panic button to immediately call for help.

And, help was on the way. Officers all over the district sped to the nightclub. But before they could get to the scene, Patrolwoman Marsha Pitrone and Patrolmen Martin Hames and Shawn Kennedy crashed their cruisers into each other just a few blocks away.

Pitrone drove down Elmwood Avenue, while Kennedy headed up Potters Avenue, with Hames in the passenger seat, according to a police report. Blue lights flashing and sirens going, the cruisers crashed in the middle of the intersection.

The impact sent the patrolmen's cruiser fishtailing up onto the sidewalk and into a van that was trying to turn onto Elmwood Avenue, the police said. Pitrone's cruiser spun around in the street.

All three were treated at Rhode Island Hospital and released later yesterday, Capt. Richard Tarlaian said. The other motorist, Stanley Johnson Jr., 32, of Cranston, wasn't injured. The cruisers were heavily damaged.

It was unknown yesterday when the three would return to work or whether any would face disciplinary action. Pitrone, 37, has been on the police force for four years; the two patrolmen graduated from the Providence Police Training Academy last summer. Kennedy, 29, is the son of Maj. Paul Kennedy, and Hames, 28, is the son of Capt. Martin F. Hames.

At the Lenox Avenue incident, the police never found the gun or the shooter. However, one officer at the nightclub ended up in a fight with one man while they were trying to apprehend his brother.

A woman had pointed to a man she said was the shooter, and when Patrolman Dwight Eddy saw him reach into his pants while holding an unidentified object, he drew his gun and ordered the man to the ground, the police said.

That's when Dion Robinson, 18, the man's brother, allegedly came after Eddy and told him to let his brother go. Patrolman Christopher Owens grabbed Robinson to move him away, but Robinson allegedly shoved the officer and tried to punch him. Owens struck Robinson with his baton, which Robinson allegedly tried to grab away from him. Owens and Robinson ended up fighting on the ground, until other officers arrived and helped subdue Robinson.

The police found that Robinson's brother wasn't involved in the shooting; however, Robinson was arrested.

Robinson, of 5 Dresser St., was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.

IIRC, Chrysler does NOT currently produce a factory police-package car. The last one they did produce was (drumroll) a K-code Jeep Cherokee.

Some police agencies do use Intrepids for cruisers, but they are NOT true factory police package cars like the K-code Polara, Monaco, Fury, Gran Fury, and Diplomat of years gone by.

Not sure about GM- their "9C1" package used to be the equivalent of Chrysler's K-code packages, and they might offer it on the current Impala.

But for real all-duty police work, its the Ford PI or nothing at the moment.

Or Ryan Newman's fire because the engine grenaded and flying connecting rods and block pieces cut a fuel line. That, too, can happen to an "ordinary" car on the highway. Not LIKELY, but POSSIBLE.

I wouldn't say the problem only recently developed. Probably more correct to say recently recurred. I still remember the exploding Ford scare in the late '70s. Same exact problem. Hit them in the rear and watch the explosion. In the summer of 1978, you could buy a used Ford for pocket change as everyone panicked and tried to unload them.

Also unfounded. Even the fireball pinto didn't have a higher incidence of fuel fire than other cars of its class in that era.

The issue with the pinto was that ford knew of a failure mode and did not correct it.

|I wouldn't say the problem only recently developed. Probably more correct |to say recently recurred. I still remember the exploding Ford scare in the |late '70s. Same exact problem. Hit them in the rear and watch the |explosion. In the summer of 1978, you could buy a used Ford for pocket |change as everyone panicked and tried to unload them.

That was about the same time as the infamous Exploding Chevy Pickup scare.

Not quite. Chevy was already making the pickups with side-saddle tanks back then, but the infamous "Oh, it didn't blow up! Lets add some pyrotechnics for the cameras!" scare didn't hit until much much later, when the trucks had been merrily going about their business for almost

Yes they do, started for the 2003 model year.

Isaiah Beard opined

Hell, The way they handle it around most places would be to cite Johnson, the van driver.

Maybe the cops were distracted by his turn signal.

The problem is that pigs are so damned stupid. They hide in the bushes and when they decide to find a better hiding spot they will pick a horrible time to move into traffic and they barely touch the gas pedal. If you ask me all those dead and burned cops got exactly waht they deserved for not doing their job properly and ignoring unsafe driving behavior for the easier job of hiding in the bushes to catch speeders.

What I'd like to know is why this is such a big issue now... I find it hard to believe that the old Ford Customs that police used for tens of years would fare much differently in a high speed rear-end collision. Maybe there's a little more trunk to absorb the impact, but still, at highway speeds hitting a car that is barely moving shoudl easily get through or mangle the rear frame rails and body enough to hit the tank.

Car's have been made with the gas tank in that same spot for decades, and only now is there a big bruhaha about it. All I have to say to the police is to drive safely and it's not an issue, either that or start using Geo Metros as police cruisers like they do in England.

There is an easy answer. If a police officer in injured on the job he is covered by state workman's compensation laws. Under the WC laws, litigation is not allowed because the employer assumes ALL liability for ALL injuries on the job. Even if it's your fault that you got hurt. For the shark lawyers to get their millions they have turned to product liability laws in states that are known for liberal juries on product liability awards like Arizona and Mississippi. It is all about money. The NHTSA conducted an investigation of 1997 through 2002 CV and found NO product defect. They kicked the props out from under any attempt at litigation in their findings, by Ford proving it builds the CV to take a rear hit of 50 MPH, the NHTSA lists the CV as the SAFEST, by far, of any police vehicle far exceeding the 30 MPH federal standard to which all others are built. That does not satisfy the Ford haters, but so what, who cares what they think?

mike hunt

Cory Dunkleberger wrote:

Can I take a guess? you were cited for speeding recently, right. LOL

mike hunt

Cory Dunkle wrote:

I'm thinking it was a recent bust of his crop of marijuana plants growing in his basement.

Re: Ford to Police: get lost! Group: alt.autos.ford Date: Sun, Aug 10, 2003, 9:31pm (EDT+4) From: snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net (Cory=A0Dunkle)

The problem is that pigs are so damned stupid. They hide in the bushes and when they decide to find a better hiding spot they will pick a horrible time to move into traffic and they barely touch the gas pedal. If you ask me all those dead and burned cops got exactly waht they deserved for not doing their job properly and ignoring unsafe driving behavior for the easier job of hiding in the bushes to catch speeders.

The fuel tank and the trunk floor are two different things. They are very closely spaced, though...