Some Ford Employees Ask Automaker To Stop Producing Police Cars

Ford and America's law enforcement officials have a chummy relationship that dates back to 1950 when the automaker introduced the first police package vehicle. Since then, Ford models like the Crown Vic have become synonymous with police, though Ford's Police Interceptor Utility – the Explorer – has filled the void since the Vic's discontinuation in 2011. However, some Ford employees are questioning the automaker's role in building such vehicles.

According to Jalopnik, several Ford employees wrote a letter to CEO Jim Hackett and Chairman Bill Ford asking the automaker to end the production of police vehicles. The letter is circulating at Ford's HQ, though the tipster who informed Jalopnik of the letter also informed the publication that Hackett rejected the idea that Ford would do such a thing.

Hackett issued a memo saying that if Ford stopped offering Police Interceptors, "we would be doing harm to their safety and making it harder for them to do their job." He added that Ford would continue police vehicle production and sales and that it'd continue "to be a powerful voice for Black Lives Matter."

Earlier in the letter, Hackett made clear that he and Bill "believe deeply that there is no room for the systemic repression and racism that have been exhibited by law enforcement encounters gone wrong." He also noted that the two also feel more transparency and accountability are required from the police.

However, Hackett understands the vital role first responders play in society. "Our world wouldn't function without the bravery and dedication of the good police officers who protect and serve. But safety of community must be inclusive of all members and today, it is not," he wrote. You can read his full memo below.

Ford police vehicles account for two-thirds of all police vehicle sales in the US, and we don't know how many police vehicles Ford sells. However, such a move in either direction would undoubtedly be seen as a political one. Those asking Ford to reconsider its stance on police vehicle production and sales likely won't see the automaker change course anytime soon.