The Tucson Police Department’s new squad car is a real cruiser.
After three years of being in the works, TPD has its own lowrider. It may not be very useful chasing bad guys, but the department hopes it can help bring the Tucson community together one hydraulic pump at a time.
“We’re looking at ways to get the youth community involved and try to figure out a way to close that gap between (them) and us,” said Detective Patrick Piña. “What better way to get that conversation started than with a lowrider.”
The 2007 patrol car was the oldest vehicle in the department’s fleet at the time it was retired from patrolling Tucson streets. Once it became inactive, personnel from TPD reached out to Obsessions Car Club, a Tucson-based club that holds events around the city annually.
“TPD approached us, they wanted to do community outreach,” said Robert DiGregorio, president of the car club. “That’s their goal, is to bring the community closer together with the police department.”
As the “directors” of the project, the club has raised money through donations to fund this project, something DiGregorio said has been “a huge undertaking.”
“There’s a complete difference between any car and a lowrider,” he said. “The car itself was mechanically sound, but it will need a complete rebuild to become a lowrider.”
So far, it has had new wheels and tires installed by Platinum Rollas and, of course, a full hydraulic suspension system installed by Kustom Rims and More, Charlie Bent and The Stylistics Car Club.
“We thought it was a great opportunity to align ourselves with TPD and show them what the car community is, not what it’s always portrayed as,” said DiGregorio.
The car community has also lent a hand, not just financially, but in terms of collaboration on the project itself. Alongside Obsessions, car clubs C3, Dos Vidas, Dignity, Old Memories and Tru Ridaz have all worked together on the project.
“We don’t want to give too much away, but it will have a custom interior and a custom stereo,” said DiGregorio. “Nothing completely outrageous, we have to keep a sensible budget that we’re going to be able to meet . . . a nice interior with a nice sound system.”
When the time comes for it to get a fresh coat of paint, Piña says that the car will be sent to Sunnyside School District and handed off to students in a paint-and-body class.
“We’re looking at completion in hopefully the next 10 months,” DiGregorio said. “We consider ourselves the last two months to be really working on the car. I don’t want to say we’re ahead of the game, but we’re on track.”
The lowrider is expected to be getting worked on through the fall. Detective Piña says it should be out again by Halloween for the department’s “Trunk or Treat” event.
Once the cruiser’s insides are completed, it’s onto community events.
“Any event that the community has, if you want the car at your event, just reach out to Operations Division South and if it’s available and ready we’ll have it at that event, any event.”
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