Cops Seize Suspect’s Corvette, Wrap It in Police Decals — Troll Job
A Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is a highly desirable sports car, with its sleek design, powerful engine, and quick acceleration. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida thinks so too. It recently seized a 2017 Chevy Corvette Z06 from a felony suspect. And in a major troll job, the cops kept the Corvette for themselves, wrapped it in police decals, and showed it off on social media.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office shows off its Corvette acquisition
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is not shy about its police-wrapped Chevy Corvette Z06. It had a flamboyant reveal of their new acquisition. The reveal was at the “Dining for Deputies event at Beef O’ Brady’s,” as detailed by CarBuzz. A video of the reveal shows the wrapped Corvette Z06, with lights flashing and sirens blaring, pulling up to the restaurant.
Sheriff Chip Simmons, proudly standing next to the Corvette, declares, “What you’re looking at is the newest addition to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office fleet. It is a 2017 Corvette Z06.”
In a possible attempt to mitigate any potential blowback, Simmons follows that by saying, “at zero cost to taxpayers.” Also, in a post on Facebook, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office wrote, “The new wrap and upgrades were funded by the Escambia County Sheriff Foundation. This vehicle will be used to continue with community engagement like we’ve never seen before and for the recruitment of the future leaders of tomorrow.”
Some community members are upset about the Corvette Z06 seizure and its new wrap
Despite declaring that the seized 2017 Chevy Corvette Z06 would be used for community engagements, some members of the community are not very happy about the new acquisition. A common theme is that the ECSO should auction the Corvette. The ESCO could then use the money from the auction in a beneficial way, such as to help the police budget, community programs, and programs for disadvantaged people. One local resident stated, “The money would have been in the budget. Instead, it’s some flashy unnecessary parade car.”
Another controversial element of the seized Corvette Z06 is the contents of the wrap. In the video, Simmons highlights ships on the side of the sports car. The ships pay homage to Tristan de Luna y Arellano, a 16th-century Spanish conquistador. Luna served with Francisco Coronado, who, in his conquest of Mexico, killed many indigenous people.
Can the police legally seize the Corvette?
The seizure of the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is controversial. However, the police can legally do it based on a premise called “civil asset forfeiture.” Civil asset forfeiture enables the police to seize money, assets, and property, including the Corvette, if they believe it connects to criminal activity. In the case of the Corvette, it might connect to criminal activity, for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said it seized the sports car from a felony suspect.
A court of law did not yet convict the suspect, though. What happens if they are innocent and acquitted of all charges? It is unknown if they are truly innocent or guilty. However, if acquitted of all charges, the police will likely have to give back the Corvette. They will likely also have to remove the wrap.
