I thought these executive protection recommendations by Bruce Alexander were interesting:

Despite what Capt. Al Della Fave of the NJSP said regarding SUVs “operate in all terrains. They won’t get bogged down.� “They are heavier and can withstand a crash better,� get rid of the SUV.

Bogged down? Where are you taking him, to a tar pit? When it comes to Executive Protection there are a variety of considerations when it comes to selecting a vehicle but getting “bogged down� is rarely one of them.

There are times when an SUV is appropriate but based on the publicly available information in this situation, this isn’t one of them. An SUV simply can not maneuver as well as a sedan particularly at higher rates of speed or under an emergency driving condition requiring braking, skid or traction control. Another consideration is the increased vehicle profile that an SUV presents as opposed to a sedan.

Finally when it comes to weight as a means of protection in an accident, like they say back home “that dog don’t hunt.� Weight in this case simply means you have a heavier object in motion, not greater protection. Memo to Capt. Fave, an armored sedan is pretty darn heavy

Nice analysis. Wonder what times require an SUV. Ground clearance? Photo shoot at the New Jersey car dealers association meetings? Maybe it’s the least different model of transportation for the state and therefore a form of camouflage — spinners might soon be required too.

Update (23 Apr 2007): Bruce has posted more commentary with even stronger language regarding the misleading characteristics of giant SUVs.

An SUV should not be used as a regular means of transportation for Executive Protection. SUVs are difficult to control and simply do not perform as well in emergency situations typically encountered in Executive Protection which includes accident avoidance in addition to vehicle ambushes etc… Compounding this problem is that most Executive Protection driver’s training programs do not spend the same amount of training time in an SUV practicing evasive driving techniques as they do in a sedan. Consequently when it comes time to drive an SUV in an Executive Protection mission, driver skill isn’t usually as proficient.

It time to put to rest the notion that “bigger is better� when it comes to vehicle size and safety and Executive Protection.