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A man set fire to a high-rise building in downtown Orlando, and a Florida food truck worker is accused of drugging children: Here's FOX 35's Crime of the Week
The contest for the best looking law enforcement cruiser is heating up!
State trooper agencies from around the U.S. are competing in the American Association of State Troopers' contest to find out who has the best looking patrol car – and Indiana State Police might have just started rivalry with Florida Highway Patrol.
FHP's contest entry features the signature black and tan patrol car with an 8.5-foot gator perched in front of it, taken by retired FHP Lt. Jeff Frost. The alligator's name is Tamale, and she's a 15-year-old "star" from Gatorland, according to a press release.
Photo: Florida Highway Patrol
Indiana State Police Sgt. Stephen Wheeles took to Facebook to troll FHP's photo – and the hilarious post went viral.
"Hey Florida Highway Patrol…This is what we call a ‘gator’ in Indiana," Wheeles said alongside a photo of a broken tire on the side of the road in front of a Indiana State Police patrol car. "I pulled it out of the roadway today and even posed it in front of my car. I imagine you don’t call these things gators in Florida, right?"
Photo: Indiana State Police
The post received over 800 comments and more than 6,000 likes – and one comment was from the Florida Highway Patrol themselves!
"We do actually," FHP said. "It's always exciting to see which (gator emoji) we will be coming up on!"
Voting for the Best Looking Cruise Contest ends on July 31 at noon. As of Wednesday, Florida Highway Patrol is in the lead with over 85,000 votes. Indiana's in third place – after California at No. 2 – with over 63,000 votes.
Click here to see the latest results.
Click here to see all the entries and vote.
The winning cruiser will be featured as the cover vehicle for the 2024 American Association of State Troopers wall calendar, with proceeds going towards the AAST Foundation. The foundation's primary mission is to offer educational scholarships to the dependents of member troopers.