Stuttgart/New York. smart USA has delivered the first 100 smart fortwo vehicles to the New York police and a further 150 cars have been ordered. With this measure the New York City Police Department (NYPD) is replacing the three-wheel motorbikes previously used in the city.

Agile, spacious, reliable: these are the main reasons why the Support Services Bureau (SSB) of the New York police, under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner Robert S. Martinez, decided to supplement the 9000 vehicle fleet of the New York law enforcers with 250 smart fortwos. A further decisive feature: unlike the three-wheel motorbikes used to date the smarts have air conditioning, making work easier for the police on patrol duty in the hot New York summer.

The white and blue police smarts have specific equipment, including a blue revolving roof lamp and police radio equipment. Officer Ralph Jefferson, who took receipt of one of the first smart fortwos and drives it around Chinatown, is very pleased: "The smart is spacious and agile and makes my job much easier. Many people say that the little patrol cars are really cute, too."