By Lee Williams
Sarasota Herald Tribune
SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Lodge No. 45 of the Fraternal Order of Police is looking for a squad car... not just any squad car. A 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air would be perfect, especially if it is a police package.
The lodge is spearheading an effort to find and restore a vintage patrol car that matches the exact make and model of one used by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
Once it is fully restored and marked, the lodge will donate the vehicle to the department for use during special events and parades.
Kevin Lynch, a retired Sarasota County sheriff’s lieutenant and vice president of the lodge, is in charge of the project.
Lynch was the perfect choice: He is an unabashed “car guy” with a penchant for emergency vehicles.
He has overseen the restoration of two vintage fire trucks and an ambulance that he currently owns, and his garage is chock-full of old lights, sirens and other parts.
“The first time the sheriff saw one of my fire trucks, he said, ‘You know, we ought to have a patrol car,’” Lynch recalled. “We talked about it until the day I retired.”
The Sheriff’s Office first issued department-owned vehicles in 1953.
Lynch has a list of every make and model purchased by the department since then.
“In 1953, the Sheriff’s Office had four employees including the sheriff, so they bought four cars. This was the first time they even had uniforms,” Lynch said. “Finding a 1953 Bel Air would be great, but it’s not easy.”
Unlike today’s patrol cars, with their four doors and cages, the sheriff’s Bel Airs had two doors. Anyone who was arrested, Lynch said, sat next to the officer.
“It was cheaper, but it was just a stupid thing, although you don’t know how many arrests they made back then,” he said. “Basically, there were no humans south of Route 72, just cattle and fruit.”
Lynch has years of experience locating hard-to-find vehicles and parts.
“Whenever you’re looking for a vehicle, 50 percent of the fun is in the shopping,” he said. “With eBay and the Internet, it’s really hard to have a challenge you can’t solve.”
He plans to donate his time, and estimates he will need about $10,000 for the project.
Lynch is a member of several emergency vehicle collectors’ clubs -- another resource he plans to tap. Many of the club members advertise spare parts and vehicles online.
John Stine, a board member of the Police Heritage Museum in York, Penn., said there is an incredible market for vintage police cars.
“What they ought to try and do is locate an original,” Stine said. “When it comes to restoring a police car, you’re only limited by your pocketbook and your imagination.”
Just talking about the lodge’s project got Norman Spurlock excited. The Story City, Iowa, resident is president of the Police Car Owners of America, a nonprofit group dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of vintage police cars.
The club has more than 250 members, including several in Germany, Sweden and Great Britain.
Late-model used police cars are easy to find, Spurlock said.
Finding something from the 1950s or 1960s, especially an actual “police package” with its beefier suspension, cooling system, motor and electronics, can be much more tricky.
“There are still incredible barn finds out there. He could get lucky,” Spurlock he said. “We’ve got one member who has an actual Model-T built by Ford as a police car, but finding one of those is one in 5 million.”
Copyright 2012 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Co.