It is a Federal Twinsonic.

Greg

What is the make and model is this light bar. I am trying to find one for a restoration project.

Greg

Is this one of the cars you were telling me about that has blue flashers where the arrowstick usually is placed on the MX700?
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Yup.

Greg

When ISP made the change to the red/blue combination I think a lot of Illinois departments followed in their footsteps. I down here in southern Illinois most departments used the all red bars until the late 80's when ISP changed. Then they also went to the red/blue combo. The only department down here I can think of that still uses the all red bars is St. Clair Co. S.D.
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Up here in the north end of IL, the DuPage County Sheriff's Police still uses all red rotating lights in their MX7000 lightbars with blue flashers in the rear where the arrow stick would be.

Greg
copcar dot com

This is a tollroad car. The ISP never bought this body style of Ford's and never used this style of lightbar. I would imagine this was assigned to a Commercial Vehicle Enforcment Officer.
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Never say never. To the general public, it's still an Illinois State Police vehicle driven by an Illinois State Trooper, right?

Greg
copcar dot com

Was the Aspen the only police package Dodge put out in 80? Or was it just a cheaper package than the Diplomat?
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What about the full-size R-body Dodge St Regis?. The M-body Diplomat didn't arrive until 1981.

Greg
copcar dot com

I noticed in some of your photos from the 1950's Chicago Police cars had red lights. Was the law made to accomidate the Chicago Police because they had bought the blue lights before laws pertaining to lights on emergency vehicles were placed in the IVC? Or did the CPD have to purchase the blue lights because the law was made?
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The law was made so Chicago could be the only city in IL to use blue by itself. Back in those days, police cars only had a single roof light, so different colors and multiple lights were not really an option.

Greg
CPD and
copcar dot com

Yes, I remember seeing those lights that flipped up from between the seats. I bet that was very irritating for the trooper driving the car.

There were some of these vans still in service a couple issued to state police radio repairmen. I don't know if there still around.

I wonder if this car was put on the street as a slicktop. Or if the light bar was taken off after it had been on the road a few years?
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Could have been just a lower profile marked car. If you look closely, there is a rear window deck light visible. I remember some of the Aspens had a Federal model 14 BeaconRay light on a hinged pole that flipped up into place when activated. It mounted to the hump behind the front seat or between the front seats on cars with buckets.

Greg

Greg

What kind of motor did this Aspen police package have?
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I don't know for certain, but I would imagine they had a 360.

Greg

Greg

I was told ISP added the blue lights because when they took over the expressways in Chicago people were not used to seeing police cars with red lights and would not stop for the troopers. Is this true?
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Partially true. The Illinois Vehicle Code says police departments in cities with a population over 500k people MUST have blue lights on their cars. When the ISP took over enforcement duties on Chicago Xways in 1987, they had to add the blue lights to comply. Red lights have always been used on fire vehicles and ambulances so the motoring public knows to yield to red lights. In fact, the hose jockeys always get more respect than the police on the roads.

Greg

That looks like the parking lot at the ISP academy. I bet it was an EVOC car.

These must be the utility cars in District Chicago
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This is an old district 4 car. Back then, the Chicago area was covered by districts 3 & 4.

Greg
copcar dot com

Lucky he missed the tree.

That is a Signal-Stat lightbar, also known as Yankee.
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Maybe out East they were, but in the Midwest they had a Smith/Wesson label

Greg

What kind of light bar is on that ISP car?
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Those are Smith & Wesson lightbars

Greg
copcar dot com

why does it have a U plate not a ISP brown plate.I thought only city and suburbs have the M plate and U plate
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That's a question that I asked too. The "U" plates are for state owned vehicles (which this obviously is).The only logical explaination is that this car was about 7yrs old when the photo was taken and most likely no longer in active patrol service. It was probably an old motor pool squad that had been reassigned to the ISP academy in Springfield on the driving range or outdoor weapons training center where they still need patrol cars for the trainees to use when they simulate traffic stops and other road related training exercises. The Fury may no longer have been an active patrol car, but State law still says all vehicles must be registered, even state-owned vehicles.

Greg
copcar dot com

I've got one like this, I did't have them put the chrome back on after it was painted
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Why not? Even the base model Mainline had the chrome trim...

Greg
copcar dot com

It's a 72, look at the checkerboard pattern on the fender caps. Look at this website http://www.mercuryarchive.com/ for more information.
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Ok. Thanks for the tip. 1972 it is....

Greg
copcar dot com