Bradley Brownell/Jalopnik
I conscionable returned from a much-needed ten-day family picnic to Italy. When we were there, my family and I visited hundreds of historical sites, went to a twelve museums, drank Aperol Spritz for illustration it was water, and ate capable pasta and pizza to provender a mini army. Between Venice, Florence, Assisi, Rome, and Sorrento, I saw hundreds of bull cars, and was astonished that nan authorities didn't look to person a modular municipal vehicle.
While astir of nan bull cars successful Italy are Italian-built, crossed Italy's Polizia di Stato, Polizia Locale, and Carabinieri, I saw a wide assortment of vehicles from practically each brand, including German and Japanese automakers.
Pretty overmuch each American bull car I've seen successful caller years has been a hotted up Ford Explorer Police Interceptor, Chevrolet Tahoe PPV, aliases nan aging Dodge Charger Pursuit. In Italy, however, it seems that cops person their prime of beautiful overmuch immoderate fits nan bill. And it seems arsenic though Italian cops take practicality complete homogeneity, which I appreciate.
The bully stuff
Bradley Brownell/Jalopnik
10. Undercover Kia Sportage

One of nan first bull cars I saw successful Rome was this unmarked Kia zooming retired of a broadside thoroughfare and astir moving into a cab connected a crowded shopping street. The Sportage isn't needfully a very cool car, but I've ne'er seen 1 utilized arsenic a bull car, and it decidedly took maine by surprise. Huh, neat.
9. Fiat Punto

How often do you get a constabulary car styled by Giugiaro? Sharing a level pinch Opel's Corsa D, nan Fiat Punto was nan amended looking of nan 2 small hatches (though some were out-pretty'd by Alfa Romeo's MiTo, if you inquire me). This astir apt isn't an extreme-use vehicle, but it tin grip nan tortures of tight streets and traffic, which is precisely what Rome demands.
8. Land Rover Discovery Armored

If you aren't familiar, nan Carabinieri is Italy's subject constabulary force, answering to nan curate of defense. While astir of their vehicles are Italian-built, I noticed this delightfully ancient armored Land Rover. The LR4-generation Disco was built betwixt 2009 and 2016, truthful this peculiar conveyance was, astatine minimum, a decade old. It's astir apt safe to opportunity nan Italian authorities pinches its pennies a small harder than nan U.S. does.
7. Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce (pictured above)
Another Carabinieri conveyance I appreciated seeing connected my travel was the Giulia Veloce. Dubbed nan "gazelle" by Italians, this is nan car Italy uses for basking pursuit. With nan 2.0-liter turbocharged 200-horsepower motor, nan Carabinieri purchased 1,770 of these "Radiomobile" vehicles for nan nationwide fleet. Specially built by Alfa, these cars characteristic a rear rider cell, armored windows and doors, and shatter-proof glass.
The bully worldly successful nan middle
Bradley Brownell/Jalopnik
6. Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Back successful 2016, nan institution past known arsenic Fiat-Chrysler handed complete a fleet of caller Jeep Renegades and Alfa Romeo Giuliettas to nan authorities police. I didn't spot immoderate of nan Jeeps successful constabulary blues during my vacation, but I did spot this delightful small Alfa hatch. If you inquire me, this era of Alfa styling was among nan astir beautiful cars ever created. I perfectly adore this thing. With a 120-horsepower Multjet 1.6-liter, it isn't nan quickest point around, but it'll do nan business.
5. Fiat Panda and Fiat Doblo

One of nan awesome joys of visiting Europe was seeing conscionable really galore Fiat Pandas location were around. These small lifted hatchbacks were amongst nan cutest small metropolis bombers around. They conscionable made my bosom do a small somersault erstwhile I saw them. Why? Because they are friend-shaped.
The Doblo successful nan inheritance makes nan database likewise because of its cutesy-ness. A small Euro-centric transportation van, we really sewage a type of these successful nan U.S. that took nan shape of nan Dodge/Ram Promaster City. Naturally, they look cooler arsenic Fiats.
4. BMW R1250 RT

If I were to beryllium a cop, I'd want to beryllium an Italian motorcycle cop. It's very funny to me, however, that nan Roman two-wheeled patrol uses nan aforesaid Beemers that SoCal motorcycle cops use. Couldn't they propulsion a group of lights and sirens connected a Ducati Multistrada aliases something?
3. Land Rover Defender
Technically not a constabulary vehicle, nan Italian Esercito Defender successful NATO Camo gets a walk for really cool it is. The Esercito is nan land-based branch of nan Italian Armed Forces, and they were posted up adjacent 1 of Italy's main nationalist monuments successful this photo. I saw a twelve aliases truthful of these Defenders successful Rome, and they each felt for illustration measurement cooler carrier instrumentality than nan MRAPs we spot connected U.S. streets.
The champion of nan best
Wikimedia Commons/domdomegg
2.5. Opel Corsa-e

Back successful 2023, nan Italian authorities purchased 30 of these Opel Corsa-e bull cars to grow its "green fleet" successful cities pinch constricted postulation zones, greenish zones, and heavy trafficked by pedestrians. Most of these vehicles went to Rome, though a fewer went to Milan, and a fistful of different Italian cities. With an businesslike 136-horsepower centrifugal and a compact 50 kWh pack, these cars will apt walk their lives rolling astir astatine stepping pace. It does make maine curious, however, conscionable really galore times they've needed to complaint this car complete nan past 3 years.
2. BMW i3

Call this 1 a necktie pinch nan Opel — I was conscionable happy to spot a small electrical runabout being utilized arsenic a municipal vehicle. This tally of i3s was purchased successful 2015 and was assigned to nan area astir nan Vatican during 2025's Jubilee celebrations, which saw an influx of Catholic visitors. A group of 4 i3 vehicles was purchased for nan city's use, arsenic good arsenic six BMW C Evolution electrical scooters (which I didn't see, but that's very cool).
1. The constabulary boats successful Venice (above)
Our travel began pinch a formation into Venice, and nan very first point I saw that blew my mind was nan authorities constabulary boats. It makes full consciousness that nan constabulary would person a batch of boats successful a metropolis wholly surrounded by water, but I hadn't put overmuch thought into it earlier I arrived. Despite nan velocity limit successful Venice being 5 knots successful nan Grand Canal and conscionable 3 knots successful nan smaller backmost canals, nan Polizia are allowed to transcend these limits, and often did. As you tin imagine, first responder boats are ever fresh to spell quickly erstwhile necessary.
DHL and UPS besides had a immense fleet of boats and barges successful Venice, but that's a communicative for different blog.
3 weeks ago
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