English Man’s Replica Sarasota Police Car Turns Heads In Scotland

SCOTLAND — The second Caleb Keogh found a 2008 Chevrolet Impala 9C1 being auctioned on eBay in the United Kingdom, he knew immediately that he needed to own it.

“I wasn't looking to buy another car, but when I (saw) it, I knew I had to have it,” the English railway engineer and car buff told Patch. “The added bonus was it still retained a police livery, and I've always been a law enforcement fan, and liked anything police related.”

The 9C1 variation of the Impala is only used by American law enforcement, a topic he’s passionate about, he said.

Once in his possession, he restored the car’s police features and transformed the vehicle into a replica of a Sarasota Police Department car. He stumbled upon the Florida police department when researching vehicle designs.

Now, he draws attention everywhere he goes throughout Scotland and other parts of the U.K. in his American police car.

The car has an interesting past, though, seeing many adventures of its own before he bought it in 2018.

A “Film Famous” military police car

In 2008, the Impala was initially purchased by the United States Air Force for use as a military police car, racking up 80,000 miles at the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Keogh said. The Air Force later transferred the car to the Royal Air Force station in Lakenheath, England.

After the U.S. Air Force purchased a new fleet of police vehicles, it sold off a number of older cars, including Keogh’s Impala. It landed in the possession of ELS Action Vehicles, an English company that supplies American and historic vehicles for film, television and advertising.

Keogh was told his car, which had the livery markings of Washington, D.C. police when he purchased it, appeared in some Marvel films.

“After watching everything, the only film that has white DC Impalas is ‘Captain America,’” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what it’s appeared in, but I like to think it’s Film Famous, even if it’s only a cop car in the background.”

He purchased the car from ELS when the company listed it on eBay in 2018.

Creating a replica American police vehicle

Keogh has always loved cars as much as he’s loved law enforcement, particularly American cars and law enforcement.

“I absolutely love driving in America, too, bigger cars with bigger engines and the open road,” he said. “America and cars go hand in hand, you can't do one without the other, and there is so much of America to explore, such beautiful places, and I can't think of anything better than a nice car driving across America.”

Wanting a replica of a working American police car, he began transforming the Impala by restoring its police features, such as lights and sirens, so they were operating again.

Originally, Keogh wanted to replicate its use as a U.S. Air Force police vehicle, but the military branch’s design was just “a very plain and basic white vehicle,” he said.

He researched American police departments that use the Chevy Impala as their main police interceptor and discovered the Sarasota Police Department used that make and model between 2006 and 2020.

“I loved the color scheme and the shade of blue being used, and I thought it was the perfect design to put my car into,” he said. “This is how I adopted the Sarasota livery to my car, and while it's not a perfect mirror image (there are a few differences to the well-trained eye) I have tried to replicate the livery as best as I can. Naturally, police departments don't give out the graphic sizes, colors and patterns, so I like to think it's a good replica of what you have and see in Sarasota, Florida.”

Keogh was also drawn to the small-town feel of Sarasota.

“I spent a long time trying to find the perfect livery. While there are departments who are well known, like the New York police, who use the Impala, I really wanted something that would be unique and stand out,” he said. “Sarasota PD was just that, a small enough department that people from outside America may not have heard about.”

Since the car was already white, he also narrowed it down to police departments that mainly used white cars.

Once he selected Sarasota Police Department, he brought images of the agency's police cars to a graphic designer, who replicated the design based on those pictures.

“We had to guess sizes due to having no measurements, and went for a font that was close enough,” he said. “It really was guesswork for the majority of the car.”

Naturally, there are some differences between his replica and the department’s real cars, he said. While Sarasota police car numbers begin with the number “1,” Keogh’s car starts with the number “2.”

He added, “I have the word ‘police’ on the bonnet and the actual design is a little different, as it was hard to exactly get a like for like.”

Turning heads on the road

The Newcastle, England, native said he’s used to turning heads when driving around the United Kingdom in his replica American police vehicle, especially after his recent move to the small village of Edzell in Angus, Scotland.

“I seem to be drawing a lot of attention since the move because of my car,” Keogh said.

He’s developed a good relationship with most police officers he’s encountered in Scotland and other areas of the United Kingdom.

“(They’re) usually very positive about the car, providing I’m following our laws when it comes to driving retired police cars,” he said.

This includes not using the light and sirens, and not pretending to be a police officer when on the road.

Keogh added, “They understand all I want to do is preserve a little part of American law enforcement history.”

Sarasota police have been supportive of his replica, as well, he said. He got on their radar after making international headlines when visiting Loch Ness in the replica.

“It's been really great that the department appreciate the support and like the car. I get a lot of positive reactions from locals (and) local police, and it was even better when the actual (Sarasota Police) Department reached out to me,” he said. “Having their support of me and the car was fantastic. They even sent me out a department patch! I was extremely grateful for (it.) It's just a great little thing to keep in the car and show people when I tell them that the actual department knows of me.”

Genevieve Judge, Sarasota Police Department’s public information officer, said, “There are a few differences between his car and our patrol cars here in the U.S. (car number isn’t the same, markings aren’t exactly the same but very similar). While Caleb doesn’t have any law enforcement authority overseas as a representative of our agency and our agency doesn’t really use the Impala vehicles any more (we’re moving to Tahoes), we do appreciate the support overseas!”

Keogh has never visited Sarasota, but had planned to visit Florida last year, “but like most things that year it had to be put on hold when travel restrictions were put in place,” he said.

He’s visited numerous other states before, though: New York, New Jersey, California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. During one holiday, he even traveled a portion of Route 66 in a Chevrolet Camaro.

“And I’ve landed in Texas before but never ventured out of the airport, so I don’t know if that counts,” he said.

He’s used these vacations to purchase essential car parts too expensive to ship to the United Kingdom and other parts that he’s not able to find online.

Once pandemic restrictions are lifted and it’s safer to travel, he hopes to visit Sarasota.

“It would be amazing to actually meet some of the people from the department, if they let me, of course,” he said. “I'd really like to visit the city as well. As I drive a car with the name on it, I'd think it'd be better to see for myself the city that I've become attached to.”