Australian Cops Are Replacing Their Commodores And Falcons With The Kia Stinger GT

[RVance]

The suspension on the AU Stingers were tuned to our conditions & RHD, I think this is why there seems to be conflicting messages about the difference in drive modes, I have read that NA Stingers that there is not much difference between comfort & sport, whereas for me here in OZ the difference is considerably noticeable, but it still didn’t stop me from upgrading my sway bars.
Most police cars, especially Highway Patrol get some sort of performance upgrades before being put into service, they just don’t advertise it.

What function does your Highway Patrol perform in Australia? Do they maintain a safety presence, or are they there to generate revenue with ticket enforcement? One thing I heard from a California HP friend was they make more arrests of violent felons than any other police agency, because most are apprehended on the road. So they need to carry shotguns. Can you get any pics of the interiors of these Stinger patrol cars?

 

[Coast GT]

What function does your Highway Patrol perform in Australia? Do they maintain a safety presence, or are they there to generate revenue with ticket enforcement? One thing I heard from a California HP friend was they make more arrests of violent felons than any other police agency, because most are apprehended on the road. So they need to carry shotguns. Can you get any pics of the interiors of these Stinger patrol cars?

Enforcement by way of issuing tickets is part of having a safety presence, they’re not mutually exclusive. Enforcing the law and issuing a penalty to those that are unsafe on the roads is not about revenue raising, although that’s the first thing everyone claims. The same people who see someone do something stupid or dangerous on the road and then say where are the cops, why don’t they do something about that?

It shits me when people claim the writing of a ticket for a traffic offence by police is revenue raising. Fixed speed cameras and toll way cameras operated by the government or a company contracted to them, that’s revenue raising. Highway Patrol or any other police issuing a ticket is pure cause and effect and forms part of the greater road safety message. Just because you get pulled over doesn’t always mean you’ll get a ticket depending on what you’ve done and your attitude, and that’s how it differs from a fixed camera.

So to answer your question Highway Patrol in Australia maintain a safety presence and conduct enforcement. As for making more arrests, they do their fair share but probably not more than General Duties Police. I wouldn’t say they arrest more violent offenders, but they certainly do come across some at times because crooks love to travel. With the exception of specialist tactical units no police in Australia carry long arms, at least not in my State, New South Wales, although there’s been a push to change that.

It’s different here to the US. CHP would be the equivalent of State Troopers in other parts of the US and every other town or county would have its own police force or sheriffs office. In Australia each State has a police force that covers the entire State regardless of town, and the Highway Patrol is just another unit within the police force. The only exception is the Australian Capital Territory which is policed by a uniformed section of the Australian Federal Police. The AFP also have branches in every capital city as well as a liaison in several countries around the world usually based at our Embassies.

As for pics of the interior of our police Stingers, it’s not likely unless the police release it or someone in QLD or WA talks to a cop driving one and is allowed to take a pic. They won’t differ much from standard with the exception of some additional equipment like torch chargers, mobile data terminal, police radio, and control panel for the lights and sirens. They won’t have cages like US police sedans. Generally our police vehicles are leased so the less holes punched into them to add equipment to the dash etc the less the government has to spend fixing them before giving them back for resale.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

What function does your Highway Patrol perform in Australia? Do they maintain a safety presence, or are they there to generate revenue with ticket enforcement? One thing I heard from a California HP friend was they make more arrests of violent felons than any other police agency, because most are apprehended on the road. So they need to carry shotguns. Can you get any pics of the interiors of these Stinger patrol cars?

This is the only one I could find, plus an interior shot of a NSW BMW unit, I assume tech would be similar across most state.
QLD Stinger

NSW BMW

 

[MerlintheMad]

Good Ol' Boys, and their toys.

 

[RVance]

[Coast GT, post: 126114, member: 4189"]Enforcement by way of issuing tickets is part of having a safety presence, they’re not mutually exclusive. Enforcing the law and issuing a penalty to those that are unsafe on the roads is not about revenue raising, although that’s the first thing everyone claims. The same people who see someone do something stupid or dangerous on the road and then say where are the cops, why don’t they do something about that?

It shits me when people claim the writing of a ticket for a traffic offence by police is revenue raising. Fixed speed cameras and toll way cameras operated by the government or a company contracted to them, that’s revenue raising. Highway Patrol or any other police issuing a ticket is pure cause and effect and forms part of the greater road safety message. Just because you get pulled over doesn’t always mean you’ll get a ticket depending on what you’ve done and your attitude, and that’s how it differs from a fixed camera."

Thank you for your detailed and thorough response. I seemed to have touched a nerve, lol. Perhaps, where you live, tickets aren't significant revenue generators, but that doesn't apply to the great state of California. Here, highway speeding tickets are the vast majority written, and they cost the most because the fines are indexed to vehicle speed.

People do not get tickets on the highway for clogging the passing lane, failure to use turnouts (to allow passing), passing on the right, or going significantly under the posted limit- precisely because the fines are static -and speeding tickets can be prosecuted with radar readings that are considered infallible. Enforcing those non-speeding violations would educate the ignorant drivers and lessen the stress and frustration of we who must cope with the Anti-Destination League. One used to be able to file for a motion of discovery on the radar gun/calibration, but the new units are not challengeable, according to the officer who wrote my last ticket.

In California, state and local jurisdictions also pile on additional fees which have nothing to do with traffic enforcement, but are merely revenue generators for other local needs. Court fees, assessments, penalties, and surcharges are routinely added and can raise the actual infraction fine ten-fold. Of course it's foolish to be belligerent to the officer in a traffic stop, and I am always respectful with hands on the wheel when pulled over. I don't want to increase the stress level of the officer.

But I do appreciate seeing patrol cars parked in the median of long stretches of highway that are entering populated areas, because I know they are a reminder to slow down. Cruisers in traffic are also a helpful deterrent to violators. But cops lurking and hiding by transitions from one speed zone to a slower zone? They're just raising revenue for the state. I took a violator's class years ago in Orange County, CA (before computer classes) taught by the man who eventually became the state commissioner of the CHP. I asked him why enforcement seemed to weigh heavily on speed violators. I asked him why older and feebler drivers were not given more stringent road tests, but were allowed to renew licenses by mail. I asked him why our DMV driver's license requirements were so lax compared to Europe. His one word answer: "Revenue."

 

[Morry]

What does annoy me is when those motor cycle cops/clowns come up from Brissy in their groups of 3s and 4s with their SS Ute that works with them as well. Our Central QLD cops are usually pretty good,they normally won’t even blink a eyelid until your doing 11 Kay’s over the limit up here. But those Motorcycle clowns think their Gods,not even the coppers up here like then much at all. Got booked last year in the misses car doing 107(Garmin GPS is very accurate),bike copper reckons I was doing 110. I pointed out to him how our local cops work and he pretty much said stiff shit. So I told him to hurry up and give me my ticket and for him and his circus to nick off back to Brisbane where he belongs. It was on the tip of my tongue to say that I understand why people seem to like running motorcycle cops off the road. He was the most arrogant cop I’ve met(and that was before I started giving him attitude). As for our cops carrying long arms,our 2 cops in town keep AR15 in the armoury at their cop shop in case they need it. Let’s face it,I would say even though policing is a dangerous profession(I’m a ex 15 year Australian Infantary Soldier),being a cop in Australia is surely a bit safer than being a cop in America because we actually have GUN LAWs over here in Australia so 99% of the time the police don’t have to worry about irate motorist pulling a concealed handgun or military style semi auto rifle on them!

 

[Coast GT]

I don’t know how you did it @RVance but somehow my post ended up as yours and your reply ended up as the quote. Anyway I was able to read it all.

You haven’t touched a nerve, just voicing an opinion. Don’t get me wrong every government is addicted to the money made from enforcement, they may set the price for the fine but the issue of raising revenue for the government doesn’t enter the mind of a cop when issuing a ticket, and I would assume that would be the same in the US. Cops do their job to enforce the law and make the community a slightly safer place. Yes some are more over zealous than others and some may focus on one area more than most or show less discretion when taking action but none of them go to work and think how much money can I make for the government today.

As for speeding infringements they are more expensive than a lot of other offences here too. The reason being is to try and deter people from doing it. That’s why they come with a loss of demerit points on your licence and at the higher end of the scale they come with on the spot suspensions. The main reason for this is that speed is probably the biggest cause of fatal road accidents in Australia along with fatigue, driver intoxication by alcohol or drugs, and distracted drivers - mobile phones etc. We also have hefty penalties for using mobile phones while driving and drink/drug driving.

If you speak to your CHP friend they’ll probably also tell you that those 4 things would be the biggest cause of fatal accidents in the US. Every area deals with them slightly differently but the basic causes remain the same across the board.

We don’t have the issue of local councils having to pay for police & other emergency services like you do in the US so we don’t have each level of government adding to the cost of penalties. As far as law enforcement goes it’s all controlled by the State. The revenue from penalties issued goes to a central treasury fund to cover all of the State not just propping up the police force. Local government stick to rubbish collecting, parking fines (which is blatant revenue raising) and filling in potholes.

 

[Coast GT]

What does annoy me is when those motor cycle cops/clowns come up from Brissy in their groups of 3s and 4s with their SS Ute that works with them as well. Our Central QLD cops are usually pretty good,they normally won’t even blink a eyelid until your doing 11 Kay’s over the limit up here. But those Motorcycle clowns think their Gods,not even the coppers up here like then much at all. Got booked last year in the misses car doing 107(Garmin GPS is very accurate),bike copper reckons I was doing 110. I pointed out to him how our local cops work and he pretty much said stiff shit. So I told him to hurry up and give me my ticket and for him and his circus to nick off back to Brisbane where he belongs. It was on the tip of my tongue to say that I understand why people seem to like running motorcycle cops off the road. He was the most arrogant cop I’ve met(and that was before I started giving him attitude). As for our cops carrying long arms,our 2 cops in town keep AR15 in the armoury at their cop shop in case they need it. Let’s face it,I would say even though policing is a dangerous profession(I’m a ex 15 year Australian Infantary Soldier),being a cop in Australia is surely a bit safer than being a cop in America because we actually have GUN LAWs over here in Australia so 99% of the time the police don’t have to worry about irate motorist pulling a concealed handgun or military style semi auto rifle on them!

Morry, you’ll find that when they blow in from out of town they’ll usually have zero tolerance, they are there for a blitz and then gone again. Some of them could have a better attitude but you get people like that in every line of employment. The local cops particularly in rural areas will approach things slightly differently because they have to live in the local area and they rely on the local community for support. It’s why at times the outsiders are brought in so the local guys don’t have to do it to their local community. If the guys from Brisbane ended up transferring to a country town they’d also settle down and approach it like your local guys do, or they wouldn’t last in the town.

 

[Morry]

I totally agree with u mate but some of their attitudes leave a lot to be desired. But back on the Stinger subject,I think it’s great that the police are using them for HWP cars. I’m still hoping KIA bring the AWD Stinger to Australia because I love AWD cars.

 

[RVance]

I don’t know how you did it @RVance but somehow my post ended up as yours and your reply ended up as the quote. Anyway I was able to read it all.

You haven’t touched a nerve, just voicing an opinion. Don’t get me wrong every government is addicted to the money made from enforcement, they may set the price for the fine but the issue of raising revenue for the government doesn’t enter the mind of a cop when issuing a ticket, and I would assume that would be the same in the US. Cops do their job to enforce the law and make the community a slightly safer place. Yes some are more over zealous than others and some may focus on one area more than most or show less discretion when taking action but none of them go to work and think how much money can I make for the government today.

As for speeding infringements they are more expensive than a lot of other offences here too. The reason being is to try and deter people from doing it. That’s why they come with a loss of demerit points on your licence and at the higher end of the scale they come with on the spot suspensions. The main reason for this is that speed is probably the biggest cause of fatal road accidents in Australia along with fatigue, driver intoxication by alcohol or drugs, and distracted drivers - mobile phones etc. We also have hefty penalties for using mobile phones while driving and drink/drug driving.

If you speak to your CHP friend they’ll probably also tell you that those 4 things would be the biggest cause of fatal accidents in the US. Every area deals with them slightly differently but the basic causes remain the same across the board.

We don’t have the issue of local councils having to pay for police & other emergency services like you do in the US so we don’t have each level of government adding to the cost of penalties. As far as law enforcement goes it’s all controlled by the State. The revenue from penalties issued goes to a central treasury fund to cover all of the State not just propping up the police force. Local government stick to rubbish collecting, parking fines (which is blatant revenue raising) and filling in potholes.

I don't know how I did it either, lol! There are statistics supporting distracted driving, speeding, and driving while intoxicated as the major cause of fatalities, with distracted driving being the leading cause of all types of accidents. I remember that speed differential used to be the significant fatality factor, according to the experts. I guess it was a finessing of the fact that going faster than the other vehicle was more important than the the amount over the posted limit.

My nerve gets touched when I see (or don't see) speed traps. If the patrolmen would get out in traffic, that would be the bigger deterrent, IMO. And pulling over that motor home that's been leading a train of ten cars through the canyon for miles while ignoring the turnouts- and the ubiquitous signs that indicate "slower traffic use turnouts"- would be a major cause for celebration.

Have a great day!

 

[DCBStingerGT]

Another Queensland Police Stinger in it seems Panthera Metal.

 

[Morry]

Gee the back wheel looks very close to the gutter lol

 

[OliverNuther]

I guess that’s how you park when the taxpayer is footing the bill.

 

[DCBStingerGT]

I know a majority of us have seen this Queensland Police Kia Stinger, shown here in this video at the 2018 SEMA show, but this video shows a close up view , with some footage of the interior and a plaque with info and photos and display number plates.

 

[app_master]

Actually saw one on the road yesterday in Qld. Looked alright.
PS ... they definitely don't get GT's, looks like a modded 300 model ... which certainly gets them the TTV6.

 

[Coast GT]

Actually saw one on the road yesterday in Qld. Looked alright.
PS ... they definitely don't get GT's, looks like a modded 300 model ... which certainly gets them the TTV6.

They’re not modded. The only “mod” is a wiring loom to run the police equipment, lights/sirens/computer/radio etc which is all fitted by QLD Police. Other than the additional wiring loom the only thing they requested from Kia was 18’s on all four rather than staggered 19’s, and a full size spare rather than the space saver that comes standard. They’ll be 330S or 330Si, not the GT although when they took it to SEMA they referred to them as GT because that’s how they’re all marketed in the US

 

[CaliSting]

I’d agree that they are great pursuit vehicles but man o man not very practical for day in day out use. I barely fit through rear door. Getting in and out of Stinger is a chore compared to some cars that have taller wider doors too. Seems like a fast SUV would be better in most cases.

BTY US already been using Stinger GTs as pursuit cars for few months now in State of Hawaii. Saw a couple on my last trip to big island. And as an FYI all cop cars in Hawaii are unmarked. Lol!

 

[Coast GT]

I’d agree that they are great pursuit vehicles but man o man not very practical for day in day out use. I barely fit through rear door. Getting in and out of Stinger is a chore compared to some cars that have taller wider doors too. Seems like a fast SUV would be better in most cases.

BTY US already been using Stinger GTs as pursuit cars for few months now in State of Hawaii. Saw a couple on my last trip to big island. And as an FYI all cop cars in Hawaii are unmarked. Lol!

Are you sure they’re using Stingers? A quick google search has no mention of it and at this time only shows Queensland and Western Australia Police as the only law enforcement agencies anywhere in the world using the Stinger. The Queensland Police Stinger was taken to the US to promote it to US law enforcement but I don’t think anyone has taken it on yet.

As for all cop cars in Hawaii being unmarked, well..........

 

[Morry]

I’m good mates with our local police Sgt in the town I live in. One of the towns near us has now got their new HWP Stinger and they do loops around the towns and call into our town a fair bit. My mate said when the Stinger comes here next he will come and get(if I’m not at work)me and we will take the HWP Stinger for a bit of a spin. He hasn’t driven a Stinger yet so he’s quiet interested to see how they go. When it happens I will let you all know of my thoughts of riding in a Stinger HWP car.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

Are you sure they’re using Stingers? A quick google search has no mention of it and at this time only shows Queensland and Western Australia Police as the only law enforcement agencies anywhere in the world using the Stinger. The Queensland Police Stinger was taken to the US to promote it to US law enforcement but I don’t think anyone has taken it on yet.

As for all cop cars in Hawaii being unmarked, well..........View attachment 17849

Beware he’s trolling you.