I remember the old Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Sheriffs cars from the 1970’s and 80’s. The first time I recall seeing one was in a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Cleveland in the early 1980’s. What caught my attention and stuck out was that the car was white with a black door.
My county Sheriff cars were black with white roofs. In most states it’s not uncommon for Sheriff’s cars to look different from county to county. Ohio is different. Ohio Administrative Code – Rule 311-3-01 – Sheriff Vehicle markings dictate how Sheriff vehicles in Ohio are to be marked. Section 311 also details the uniforms of deputies. The standardization of uniforms and cars throughout Ohio assists the Sheriffs regarding mutual aid when needed. These rules have been in place for decades. The rule in Ohio at the time was that the Sheriff cars were black with white roofs.
The black with white roof rule would stand until around 1994/1995 when the rule switched to all black cars with yellow stripes down the side. I actually remember this time period because I liked the black and white cars and was disappointed when they went to all black. I also wasn’t a fan of the big yellow stripes and still don’t like them to this day.
This brings us back to this restored Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Sheriff 1978 Ford LTD. It’s a beautifully restored car. It’s a unique car, but it wasn’t properly marked under the Ohio Administrative Code back when it was in use.
So how did they get away with it? They just did. I worked as a State Trooper out of Garfield Heights in Cuyahoga County back in the 1990’s, and I used to call Cuyahoga County the State of Cuyahoga. Law enforcement in Cuyahoga County just seemed to have their own way of doing things and getting away with it. I worked in other areas of the state, but Cuyahoga County was definitely unique.
At the time, Gerald T. McFaul was the Sheriff (elected in 1977) and served for 32-years before coming under fire for corruption. Prior to that, he had been a pipe fitter and served 9-years on Cleveland City Council before deciding to run for Sheriff. So, the man went from having no law enforcement background to holding the Office of Sheriff for 32-years. His case was just one in a landslide of public corruption scandals that rocked Cuyahoga County during that era and led voters to gut its traditional government for a reform system with an appointed sheriff. To this day they still have an appointed Sheriff even though all other counties elect one. As I said, Cuyahoga has a different way of doing things. For more information about Sheriff Gerald McFaul, check out: Gerald McFaul, Cuyahoga County’s longest-serving sheriff, dies at 87
This car reminds me of the days when Cuyahoga County marched to the beat of a different drum. Maybe they still do. I don’t know.
The average person doesn’t realize how much work goes into restoring one of these old cars and finding the right parts. That chrome push bumper on the front was unique (it’s missing a cross bar (tube)), and the only large agency I recall that used a lot of them was the Nevada Highway Patrol. The Federal Signal Twinsonic lightbar is rare as well. There are people that collect those lightbars, so they’re out there if you can find someone actually willing to sell one.
The 1978 Ford LTD police car wasn’t especially fast for a police car. The 400 CID V8 made 166 horsepower, and the cars went from 0-100 MPH in 41 seconds, and had a top speed of 115-MPH.
It’s a really cool car. I’m glad to see someone restore one and preserve this piece of Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) history.
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