Hal Johns, right, of Sevierville, cleans his 1962 Plymouth Belvedere, with help from his friend Jack Maness, also of Sevierville, during an exhibit in Oak Ridge by the Police Car Owners of America on Saturday.
The Police Car Owners of America had its first four-day convention in Oak Ridge, and highlights included a light display on Thursday and exhibit and award banquet on Saturday.
The organization, which works to preserve the history of law enforcement vehicles, has members in 35 states and three other countries. Saturday’s exhibit in the parking lot of the former Sears store in Oak Ridge included 25 cars from as far away as California and Wisconsin.
Cars—which can be purchased online and outfitted with light bars, radios, and display guns—are judged on their cleanliness and authenticity, said Jack Pike of Conway, Ark., the organization’s vice president and public information officer.
Pike once worked for the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Department in Arkansas, and he now owns the 1994 Chevrolet Caprice he drove for 10 years before he retired.
A 2001 Chevrolet Camaro B4C police car driven by Jerry Burch, who was retiring from the Huntsville, Ala., Police Department on Saturday.
Club members praised the support of local law enforcement agencies on Saturday, including the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department and Oak Ridge Police Department. Many learned more about Oak Ridge—the former Secret City—during their brief stay here.
“Membership has declared it one of the best we’ve ever had,” Pike said.
He said there was an exceptional number of Chevrolet Camaros this year. One of them, a 2001 Chevrolet Camaro B4C, was driven by Jerry Burch of Huntsville, Ala., who said he was retiring Saturday from the Huntsville Police Department.
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