Police Chief: Prisoner Transport Van Assembly and Driving Guide

To build and operate the prisoner transport van in Police Chief, outfit the empty chassis in your precinct workshop with core mechanical parts, cab panels, and a secured rear holding compartment. Once built, the van consolidates arrests by transporting multiple suspects at once, but its high center of gravity creates a severe rollover risk that demands straight-line braking and moderate turn speeds.

Assembling the Chassis and Mechanical Components

The transport van must be fully assembled in your precinct maintenance bay before it can be deployed on the street. Inspect the bare chassis on the hydraulic lift and install the essential running gear:

1. Mount the suspension and wheels: Install four matching wheels and secure the suspension mounts. An unaligned wheel hub or missing bolt prevents the ignition sequence from triggering.
2. Install the drivetrain and fluids: Seat the engine block and verify that both the radiator and battery are secured and filled. Loose wiring or low fluid levels trigger mechanical breakdown alerts during dispatches.
3. Attach exterior body panels: Fasten the hood, side panels, cab doors, and front bumper. Omitting protective panels leaves the engine block exposed to heavy collision damage from street obstacles.

Equipping the Suspect Holding Compartment

The primary advantage of the transport van over standard patrol cruisers is its multi-suspect capacity. To safely hold detainees, you must install security hardware inside the cargo bay before accepting calls.

Equipping the rear benches allows you to secure detainees from large raids in a single trip. After installing the benches, verify that the rear latch mechanism closes properly so suspect models do not clip through the doors during transit.

Managing Driving Physics and Preventing Rollovers

Loading multiple suspects shifts vehicle weight onto the rear axle and raises the van's center of gravity. Taking sharp turns at standard pursuit speeds lifts the inside tires off the road, causing the vehicle to slide on its side or flip onto its roof.

To keep the vehicle stable during transport:

• Brake before turns: Slow down in a straight line before reaching an intersection rather than braking while turning the wheel.
• Give curbs a wide berth: Clipping sidewalk edges or low fences will immediately trip the high chassis into a rollover.
• Maintain moderate speeds: Reserve emergency lights for clearing traffic at intersections instead of driving at top speed.
• Correct rear-end slides: If the rear tires break traction, ease off the accelerator and steer gently in the direction of the skid. Do not pull the emergency handbrake.

Loading and Securing Arrested Suspects

Loading suspects requires manual interaction at the rear of the van:

1. Subdue and handcuff suspects at the scene.
2. Walk detainees individually to the rear bumper and open both rear doors.
3. Guide the suspect into the cargo bay until the interaction prompt appears, then lock them to the bench. If a detainee gets caught on the doorway, back them away from the bumper and guide them directly down the center aisle.
4. Shut both cargo doors immediately between transfers so traffic or bystanders cannot trigger collision physics against an open door.
5. Check the exterior door latch indicators to verify the rear compartment is fully sealed before entering the driver cab.

Recovering from Collisions and Vehicle Rollovers

If high-speed impacts or sharp terrain cause the van to roll over, exit the driver cab and use the precinct vehicle unstuck or shove interaction to flip the chassis back onto its wheels.

Once the van is upright, verify that no detainees were ejected and check the engine compartment for heavy smoke. If the steering linkage is bent or the engine stalls repeatedly, do not respond to secondary pursuit calls. Drive at low speed directly to the precinct booking bay; successfully delivering the suspects awards booking credit that covers repair costs in the maintenance garage.