Connecticut State Police hopes to leave other police cars in the country in the dust.
That’s because they entered the annual American Association of State Troopers (AAST) Best Looking Cruiser Calendar Contest, in which state police departments across the country submit a photo of one of their cruisers of police and have the public vote through SurveyMonkey for a winner The competition started on August 8 and will end on August 25.
If the Nutmeg State troopers win, their cruiser will be the cover of the 2023 edition of the AAST calendar, it has been reported. the American Association of State Troopers. Those who reach the top 13 will appear on the calendar.
The photo entered by the Connecticut State Police shows a 2020 Silver Ford Police Interceptor SUV with blue and red lights flashing in front of a Saville Dam building against an orange sky background.
“We tried to figure out a place that would be recognizable, especially to our Connecticut residents, and Saville Dam was the nicest place that we could think of that many of our citizens here in Connecticut would easily recognize,” said Trooper First Class Pedro said Muñiz, who took the photo.
AAST reaches out to police departments around the country for friendly competition, which is how the Connecticut State Police got involved, according to Muñiz.
“[The contest] it involves the participation of our communities in each of our states,” Muñiz said. “I think it’s great exposure and great community connections, it’s just a great time to see other [state’s] agencies’ vehicles and the images they choose to send.”
The Nutmeg State vehicle is currently ranked 20th with 2,886 votes as of August 15. according to an AAST blog post. California, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida have taken the lead (in that order) with more than 10,000 votes each. Muñiz acknowledged that winning could be difficult since other departments have “cooler cars” (like Mustangs and Camaros), but he hopes he can enter an even better photo next year.
“We will continue to do everything we can to make it right,” Muñiz said.
Once printed, the calendar will sell for $10, with all proceeds going to the American Association of State Troopers Foundation. The foundation “was organized to raise funds to provide scholarships for dependents of AAST troop members.” according to their website.