From 1997 to 2013, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was the most widely used automobile in law enforcement fleets in North America, namely the United States, Canada and Mexico.

After the discontinuation of the Chevrolet Caprice, the Ford Motor Company held a near-monopoly on the market for police vehicles in the United States and Canada for over a decade.

For 1996, the Crown Victoria badge on the front fenders was removed and the cars received a new steering wheel; 1997 models have a lighter blue interior color compared to prior years.

Finally, the new Street Appearance Package (SAP), intended to make the CVPI look like a standard (P73) model, including chrome trimming and Crown Victoria badging, was introduced.

Starting in mid-1999, the extra bulbs were eliminated and the turn signals returned to the combination of stop/turn setup with red lenses found in many North American cars.

These chambers were now empty, leaving a perfect place to install in police cars strobe tubes that would not affect brake or turn-signal visibility.

Fleet models equipped with the "Street Appearance Package" retained the amber turn signal until 2004, when all CVs changed to all-red taillights.

At the 2002 New York International Auto Show, a 2003 Ford Police Interceptor concept car was previewed featuring an all new exterior, mirror-mounted spotlights, a 300 hp V8 engine, reinforced front and rear bumpers made out of a mixture of stainless steel, polymer, and aluminum, as well as 18-inch alloy wheels.

[6] While the exterior design of the 2003 concept vehicle was scrapped, the 2003 model year brought the most extensive changes to the Panther platform since its 1979 introduction.

The 2003 model year introduced all new underpinnings with a re-designed and fully boxed hydro-formed steel frame, as well as an aluminum #2 cross-member.

[8] The interior was also slightly revised for 2003, with new front seating surfaces that featured improved cloth upholstery and larger headrests; seat-mounted side airbags also became an option.

This better-flowing air intake system also has an integrated 80 mm (3.1 in) mass airflow (MAF) sensor that is part of the airbox lid (but can be serviced individually).

[10][better source needed] The new alternator was computer controlled and featured a one-way decoupling pulley in order to remedy belt slippage on wide open throttle up shifts.

[11] Vehicles equipped with a fire suppression system can be easily identified by a large encased button mounted on the headliner forward of the map lights.

A heated PCV valve was made standard, as were front crash severity sensors with a weight sensing passenger airbag function.

For the 2009 model year, the CVPI now had power pedals, side airbags, and federally mandated recessed window switches as standard equipment.

[12] The car received new styled door moldings, and Ford placed a "Flex Fuel" badge in the lower right corner of the rear fascia.

[15] The Police Interceptor engine calibration includes a slightly higher idle speed (by around 40 rpm) and minor changes in the emissions settings.

[17] Another difference is Ford's "severe duty" shock absorbers that offer a stiffer ride than the standard Crown Victoria.

CVPIs have higher-rate coil springs, around 0.8 inches (20.3 mm) of additional ground clearance, and thinner rear anti-roll bars (shared with the LX Sport) than the Handling and Performance Package Crown Victorias; the base Crown Victoria, beginning in 2003.5, does not have a rear anti-roll bar.

This gap between seats is generally filled by a console holding radios, controls for emergency equipment, large firearms, and often a laptop computer or mobile data terminal.

There are several visual clues to determine if a vehicle is a Police Interceptor without looking at the VIN, but most can be "forged" to look like one, or are different with the P71 Street Appearance Package (SAP).

However, the company has created anger among civilian owners of 2003+ Police Interceptors by refusing to honor the recall unless the vehicle is still being used in fleet service.

As these vehicles were commonly used for emergency style driving and often endured long idling times, these intake manifolds quickly proved to be problematic.

[21] Beginning in 2003, a revised intake manifold with a bolt-on aluminum thermostat housing and anti-freeze crossover was produced and fitted to all new vehicles in an attempt to remedy the issue.

The last Crown Victoria Police Interceptor rolled off the assembly line in August 2011 and was sold to the Kansas Highway Patrol as part of a batch of 14 CVPIs.

[31] In Russia, the Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety, popularly known under its historical abbreviation GAI (ГАИ), purchased 140 Crown Victoria P71s between 1993 and 1995 through an economic aid package signed off by President Bill Clinton.

CVPIs were used by Middle Eastern law enforcement agencies, including those from the United Arab Emirates (via Dubai),[41] Saudi Arabia,[42] Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan.

In Russia, the mid-1990s Crown Victoria became a symbol of Moscow's road militsiya for over a decade; the P71 is pictured on a DPS badge awarded for 15 years of service.

A documentary film titled Crown Vic: America's Most Iconic Car by filmmaker Dale Roossien is scheduled to be released in fall 2023.