Ford is building the safest police car in history

Late last week, Ford announced that it will now offer protection from armor piercing rifle ammunition on its Police Interceptors.

According to the automaker, this makes the Interceptor the first police cars in the US to offer protection from armor piercing 0.30 caliber rifle rounds which conforms to the Federal Government's Type IV standard.

The armor panels are comprised of two layers.

The outward facing layer is made of ballistic-grade ceramic which helps break up the bullet. The inward layer is made of a synthetic aramid fiber.

Ford claims that its decision to offer the optional panels are a direct result of feedback from the law enforcement community.

"Officers globally told us they needed protection from armor piercing ammunition and we added increased ballistic protection to an already great product - that's continuous innovation," Ford Police Interceptor chief engineer Arie Groeneveld said in a statement.

According to Ford, lower level Type III standard panels which protect against rounds up to .30 caliber non-armor piercing rounds are already in service with the police department around the country.

The Ford currently offers its Interceptor series as both a sedan and an SUV called the "Utility". The sedan variant is based on the full-size Taurus while the Utility is based on the Explorer. Both feature upgraded drivetrains, suspensions and law enforcement-specific equipment.

The sedan and the SUV variants of the Interceptor come available with all-wheel-drive and a 365 horsepower, 3.0 liter, EcoBoost V6 engine.