The Escambia County Sheriff’s office in Pensacola, Florida just added a 2017 C7 Corvette Z06 to their fleet. The high-performance sports car was seized from a felony suspect. The C7 Corvette Z06 was upgraded to look like a police cruiser and will now be used for community engagement purposes.
In a recent social media post, the Escambia County Sheriff’s office states that the C7 Corvette Z06 was wrapped with an elaborate law enforcement exterior treatment using funds pulled from the Ecambia County Sheriff Foundation. The law enforcement office states that no tax payer dollars were used to fund the upgrades for the vehicle.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s new C7 Corvette Z06 was unveiled last Friday during a Dining For Deputies event at a local Beef O’Brady’s restaurant. During the event, 10 percent of all purchases at the restaurant were allocated to fund the Escambia County Sheriff Foundation.
In addition to a new green-and-white wrap that covers the entire car with the Escambia County Sheriff logo and badge, making it look similar to a police cruiser, the C7 Corvette Z06 was also upgraded with a siren, as well as flashing red and blue lights around the perimeter of the vehicle. Details in the wrap include Pensacola Beach heritage throwbacks and various local attractions.
“There are police cars that we have that are designed to put bad guys in. This police car is designed to put the good guys in. We’re going to use it for public engagement, and again, it cost zero tax payer dollars,” says Sheriff Chip W. Simmons, whose name can be seen on the badge on the hood of the C7 Corvette Z06, during a social media video cast for the Dining For Deputies event.
Under the hood, the C7 Corvette Z06 is motivated by the supercharged 6.2L V8 LT4 gasoline engine, which is rated at 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque from the factory. The Z06 also includes a removable carbon fiber roof panel, an aggressive front splitter, a unique hood, and rear aero blades, as well as 19-inch wheels in front and 20-inch wheels in the rear.
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Comments
so the police STOLE the vehicle from a not-yet-convicted, not-a-felon?
Your tax dollars at work!
The blackshirt gestapo strikes again.
Note the word “suspect”. Not “convict”. Not “guilty”. SUSPECT.
Civil asset forfeiture is THEFT.
With all the wrongs the Supreme Court has been righting as of late, I’d love to see them take up assent forfeiture and strike that down. You can reasonably impound or freeze assets to prevent one from causing further harm, but actually seizing for your own benefit is theft no matter who is doing the seizure.
Yet it is still wrong and immoral to seize it. Take the asset into consideration for when posting bail amount, or impound it so it can’t be used till the trial is completed. Allowing seizure is still theft, and I’m many cases affects wrongly convicted individuals who get cleared by trials
If he was a drug felon they can seize the car automatically without a conviction. Bottom line he loses and they get his car for free
Wrong this is inaccurate journalism the person was caught with drugs he was also a known drug dealer. That’s what happens when you go to jail and can’t get your car out of impound. Next time don’t get caught.
This was no “donation” it was out & out grand larceny aka theft. That whole police department belongs in prison.
I’d love to see seized sports car as a police interceptor but never have.
I’ve seen stolen cars covered with DARE / war on drugs decals.
The city I grow up in. Troy, Michigan. During the mid 90’s. The police dept seized a few cars from a man. One car was a Ford T bucket hot rod. Police wrapped that car up with DARE stickers and cruised the streets and any event with it. Neat when your young and seeing a car like that.
A “felon suspect”? #SMDH
Druggies and pedophiles always get angry and defend criminals.
And – Those of us who believe in the law.
Why would druggies and pedophiles defend cops?
To whom does the car now belong, the Escambia County Sheriff Department or the Escambia County Sheriff Foundation? Sounds like the department seized the asset, then the foundation paid for the wrap and lights, and now the car is being used to raise money for the foundation. They say it’s for “public engagement, but fundraising has so far been its only real use. So, funds for whom?
Next, they’ll want a C8….
This is NOT news! Kentucky State Patrol has been patrolling their roads in a C-7 for several years! JB is one outstanding wheel-man, leads great parades!
I think they should use it at Daytona international speedway as the pace car for the NASCAR races! Tomg
It should be restored to its original state and returned to whom it was stolen. Of course, the restoration expense should come out of the cop’s pockets, not the tax payers.
If the article is true that the suspected felon was not yet or never convicted when the car was seized, now that you have made it widely known, things are about to hit the fan.
Not really. It’s enshrined in law now. Someone who is in a cash business like landscaping or scrap metal may have a couple grand in his wallet when he gets stopped. He has “too much” cash, so the cash is “obviously” from drug dealing, and the money is seized.
Same with a car or boat you “look like” you can’t afford, or some other BS excuse. If you have the time, and the money for a good lawyer. you MIGHT get your property back.
Before commenting on a puff piece like this, spend a little time and read up on the actual case, then research Florida asset seizure law. You may not like the law, but is aimed at people who break the law and spend illegal gains on things like homes and cars. If you are innocent you can get your stuff back. If not— your illegally gained stuff gets sold off.
It’s not always easy to “get your stuff back.”
Good to know. Hope it really works out that way.
I hope some cop who woke up on the wrong side of the bed busts you on some specious charge because he has a quota to meet or doesn’t like your face.
Check your family into an extended stay hotel and find another car to get to work. When your case finally comes to trial and you prove your innocence, the lawyer bills will be the value of the house. If you had any firearms they stole, and they were any good, they are now “lost in the evidence locker”; if they were cheapies, they are in the box for throw-downs.
As far as I know, only one US state operates under Napoleonic law; in the rest we are supposed to be innocent until proved guilty.
If you ever get it back, it will be trashed beyond recovery.
Lol… people angry over a car in a “criminal” act and yet people are being released in the same day for killing innocent people, ambushing Cops, selling fentanyl and killing kids, and beating old people to death, and being released within hours…
Whatever that person did, or that persons past they caused that action to be taken. Anyone else on this forum wouldn’t have been arrested unless you’re identified as a person of interest.
No one gets a car taken away for speeding or caught drag racing, impounded or tickets…yes, but if your name comes up as a Person of Interest, well, you know what happens.
‘Cuz the police never make mistakes….
Look guys, the authors are paid to push as much content as possible to drive traffic to this site so they can earn a living off the advertisements. They aren’t looking to earn a Nobel Prize in journalism. If you are that concerned about this criminal I’m sure you can google the case for a more comprehensive story.
if people knew just how much police take from people without a reason and then do this sh*t with it. f this guys
LOL, don’t confuse local police with Bidens FBI and CIA.
NJA
For all of you that DISLIKE Ron DeSantis, please stay out of my state!!! You are not welcome. He is the best person to have governed Florida throughout the pandemic! We, the people, remained free……and survived just fine!
Lol!
Fun cult
Wow! Need to like the governor of a state to visit?
But since you mentioned Florida’s COVID response, here are the facts. 3,523 per million Floridians have been listed as having died due to COVID or associated complications. The worst state is Mississippi at 4,205/million, the best was Hawaii at 1,052/million. The US as a whole averaged 3,109/million. For comparison, some other industrialized countries:
Singapore 237/million
Japan 248/million
New Zealand 287/million
World 815/million
It choice was always presented as taking additional deaths to save the economy. Given the numbers, we have managed to kill significant numbers of our fellow Americans and still devistate the economy. I can’t help but be sad over our callousness.
Source: worldometers.info
those numbers are not factual… Those are hospital and CDC numbers that included non-covid illnesses such as diabetes, heart attacks, and the flu with other pre-sicknesses to collect covid money from the government. This is a nice way to say you’re wrong and quit listening to CNN.
Bottomline, if other governors listened to FL, more would be alive.
Hopefully you’re not from NYC – Cuomo where thousands died unnecessarily. Worst, hopefully you don’t agree with Cuomo.
LE can’t seize your vehicle if there’s a lien against it, just saying
Yes they can. There is specific law regarding civil asset forfeiture.
If he was a drug felon they can seize the car automatically without a conviction. Bottom line he loses and they get his car for free
“Nice car there, bro. Be a shame if someone were to steal it because there are plants in there.”
If he was a drug felon they can seize the car automatically without a conviction. Bottom line he loses and they get his car for free
did you know that if you have over $5,000 of cash on you, you are automatically considered a “Drug felon,” because clearly, only drug dealers have that much cash on you, not someone who doesn’t trust banks. They can seize the cash and anything on you, and then if you beat the case, you don’t get it back. Civil forfeiture is theft.
Wrong there Perry Mason
Does the cash have drug residue, can you show that the money was legally obtained? Many things have to occur for forfeiture to happen. The highway patrol are not highwaymen, not yet anyway.
“Does the cash have drug residue, can you show that the money was legally obtained?”
1) I understand virtually every $20 bill has detectable drugs imbedded.
2) We shouldn’t have to show anything with a presumption of innocence, not yet anyway.
I seem to recall that the story of the small town police funding their operating budgets on bogus tickets and forfeitures was cliche. This story does not have the needed information to make an informed judgement. For a start:
Was there a conviction? Civil forfeiture processes can proceed without a conviction.
How was the search or discovery justified? Defendants/suspects do have rights and protections.
The lesson is pretty clear! if you are a criminal, drive a Chevy Spark !
Lol!!
Or suspected as one.