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Detroit's new fleet of donated police cars have safety issues [w/video]

In a show of generosity in mid-August, Detroit's business leaders donated $8 million to the Police Department and Fire Department in order to buy 100 new police vehicles and 23 EMS ambulances. But now officers have discovered - and complained - that the police vehicles have glaring safety issues, Deadline Detroit reports. It is not made clear what models of the fleet vehicles - which include police versions of the Ford Taurus, the Chevrolet Caprice and the Dodge Charger - are affected by the safety issues.
Officers reportedly have complained that the Plexiglass partition separating front-seat officers and back-seat prisoners is easily breached, and that the front passenger seat is installed too close to the dashboard. Prisoners who manage to writhe out of their handcuffs can bend the Plexiglass and reach into the cockpit, and sitting too close to the dashboard can render airbags more dangerous and make officers more vulnerable to injury in a crash.
Mark Diaz, president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, received the complaints and reportedly said the vehicles would get safety updates addressing the issues. But Deadline Detroit reports that it checked some of the offending police cars and, as of the last few days, they hadn't been updated.

Performance CNG wants to crowdfund natural gas-powered Ford Mustang

Soliciting investments to develop a street-legal compressed natural gas (CNG) powered Ford Mustang that can deliver 470 horsepower certainly wouldn't make sense on a site called Indiestopstop. Nope, Indiegogo is the more-appropriately-named site that one Michigan entrepreneur is using to try and crowdfund his CNG 'Stang. He's looking to raise $55,000. Michigan's Daryl Patrishkoff and his company Performance CNG LLC showed off their converted 2003 Mustang last year at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Royal Oak, MI in an effort to get some exposure for the car, which can run on both gas and CNG. The company and its three-man team is looking to further develop the project in the name of a fueling source that is 40 percent cheaper than gasoline, throws off as much as 30 percent fewer tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions and makes the country less dependent on foreign oil. Performance CNG estimates that just 120,000 of the world's 15 million CNG-powered vehicles are in the US and is calling for more. As for the $55 grand, Patrishkoff estimates that more than half of that amount would be committed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing of emissions, fuel economy and horsepower. The problem? As of right now, only $150 has been raised. Check out Performance CNG's press release below and see the fundraising effort on Indiegogo here. Eco-Friendly Muscle Car? CNG vehicles save money, emit less pollution and creates jobs from American-mined fuel SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich., May 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Daryl Patrishkoff of Shelby Township, MI, has a vision for the American automotive industry. He firmly believes that our fuel of choice should be Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), not gasoline. Until the full CNG infrastructure is in place a Bi-Fuel vehicle, fueled by either CNG or gasoline upon the drivers command, is the bridge vehicle that can lead this transition. Patrishkoff heads up a (3) man technical team developing this technology. The advantages are: 40 percent savings in fuel costs at the pump 25-30 percent reduction in harmful emissions 100 percent US provided natural gas Meaningful employment for the US economy The most important benefit, however, is that a CNG-powered vehicle runs on fuel that can be mined in America, eliminating the need for foreign oil. "After decades of political rhetoric, these types of vehicles can truly lead the US to energy independence," he said.

Ken Block shows us around his Ford F-150 RaptorTrax

From his Fiesta HFHV to his '65 Mustang Hoonicorn, the inimitable Ken Block has some awesome machinery at his disposal. But arguably the coolest of the bunch is the RaptorTrax. Based on the previous-gen Ford F-150 SVT Raptor - the one with the steel frame and V8 engine - Block's back country snowmobile on steroids packs a set of tracks at each corner, a full roll cage, equipment rack, lighting, jump seats, survival gear... everything he could need for a trip off road. The Gymkhana master showcased the beast a couple of months ago on the slopes of Baldface in Nelson, BC, but now he's followed up with a less eye-popping but more informative clip in which he shows us everything his RaptorTrax has to offer. Related Video: