Ford makes police car doors that stop armor-piercing bullets

DETROIT (AP) — It's a first for police cars: Doors that can protect against armor-piercing bullets.

Ford will soon be offering the doors on its Police Interceptor sedans and SUVs. They'll be the first in the U.S. to meet the Justice Department's highest standard for body armor, the equivalent of a bulky SWAT team vest.

The doors are designed to stop a .30-caliber bullet shot from a high-powered rifle like an AK-47. That's more powerful ammunition than many soldiers carry.

Ford has offered factory-installed ballistic panels on its police car doors since 2008. But previous versions protected against handgun fire and non-armor piercing bullets. Between 5 percent and 10 percent of police vehicles Ford sells have the optional ballistic protection, which costs around $1,500 per door.

But Randy Freiburger, a Ford engineer who works with police customers, said the company was getting frequent requests for better protection, particularly from police in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. So engineers starting working on upgraded panels.

"In some places outside the U.S., they face the armor-piercing threat on a daily basis," Freiburger said. "This is the price of entry for those markets."

Ford was also facing pressure from its rivals. Dodge began offering nonarmor-piercing protection on police versions of the Charger in 2012. Ford controlled 60 percent of the U.S. police vehicle market in 2015.