June 2020 Blues Issue Vol 36 No 6

Ford announces new heated sanitation
software for Police Interceptor
New technology allows police to heat vehicles up to 133º to disinfect touchpoints
Phoebe Wall Howard
Detroit Free Press
NEW YORK — In response to an
idea from New York police officers
concerned about the coronavirus,
Ford announced Wednesday
it’s launching a “heated sanitation
software” technology available now
that essentially cooks away viruses
inside 2013-2019 Police Interceptor
SUVs.
The company tested the new
software in vehicles owned by the
Michigan State Police, New York
City Police and Los Angeles Police,
and the agencies are now using the
technology, confirmed Elizabeth
Kraft, Ford spokeswoman.
Ford has started rolling out a new “First responders are on the front will change at the end to signal
software system for its Police Utility lines protecting all of us. They are completion.” The instrument cluster
vehicles that will automatically disinfect
exposed to the virus and are in dire will also indicate progress. A cool-
the SUVs. (Photo/Ford Motor need of protective measures,” said down process brings the tempera-
Company)
Hau Thai-Tang, Ford chief product ture down, Ford said.
The new technology allows police development and purchasing officer. The heat sanitizing process is not
to heat vehicles “up to 133 degrees “We’ve turned the vehicle’s powertrain
done with people inside the vehicle.
Fahrenheit for 15 minutes — long
and heat control systems into Ford engineers began studying
enough to help disinfect vehicle a virus neutralizer.”
the heat decontamination project in
touchpoints,” Ford said.
A heat level that exceeds 133 late March.
A team at The Ohio State University
degrees Fahrenheit is comparable “Shortly after, a discussion with
helped figure out the tempera-
to the highest temperatures record-
the New York City Police Depart-
ture and duration of time required ed in places like Death Valley and ment alerted Ford to its need for a
“to help inactivate” COVID-19. The parts of Libya and Tunisia.
more efficient disinfecting process
software is available immediately “Our studies with Ford Motor during the pandemic,” Ford said.
for use in Police Interceptor SUVs in Company indicate that exposing Stephen Tyler, Ford police brand
the U.S. and Canada.
coronaviruses to temperatures of marketing manager, said, “Law enforcement
The heat spike is not generated 56 degrees Celsius, or 132.8 degrees
officers are being dis-
by the routine climate system in the Fahrenheit, for 15 minutes reduces patched as emergency responders
vehicle, Kraft explained. Instead, the viral concentration by greater in some cases where ambulances
the new software allows the vehicle
than 99 percent on interior surfaces may not be available. During one
to engage the powertrain to and materials used inside Police In-
trip, officers may be transporting a
run a higher idle than it’s able to do terceptor Utility vehicles,” said Jeff coronavirus patient to a hospital,
without the software, thus creating
Jahnes and Jesse Kwiek, laboratory while another trip may involve an
more heat to be transferred the supervisors at Ohio State’s microbi-
occupant who may be asymptom-
cabin, she said.
ology department.
atic.”
The company is looking to make When the heat process has begun,
These heat cleaning efforts may
it available in other police vehicles,
“hazard lights and tail lights help disinfect vehicles between
Ford said.
will flash in a preset pattern, then passenger use.
42 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE
The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 43