It's official: Florida Highway Patrol has the 'best looking cruiser' in the US

It's official! Florida Highway Patrol has the "best looking cruiser" in the country after the final votes were tallied in a national state trooper competition. 

State trooper agencies from around the U.S. competed in the American Association of State Troopers' contest to find out who has the best looking patrol car. Florida "chomped" away at the competition thanks to its photo of the signature black and tan patrol car alongside an alligator named Tamale from Gatorland. 

"WE DID IT and we absolutely couldn't have done it without all of you who voted, shared, liked, posted & the list goes on!" FHP wrote on Facebook. "We are so thankful." 

Photo: Florida Highway Patrol

The contest ended Monday and FHP received 181,071 votes. In second place was California with just over 142,000 votes. 

Now that FHP won the contest, the patrol car will be featured as the cover vehicle for the 2024 American Association of State Troopers wall calendar, with proceeds going towards the AAST Foundation to support higher educational scholarships. The top 13 finishers will be highlighted, too. 

"Numerous states including Florida seemed to have a fantastic time with the back and forth challenging and good-hearted ribbing. Looking at the behind-the-scenes videos in creating their photos, I think the states made some fantastic partnerships and lifelong supporters," the American Association of State Troopers said. 

"We can’t thank the public enough for their participation with the voting and fun contest rhetoric. We truly enjoyed reading the back and forth of everyone supporting their state and their favorite cruiser photo! We couldn’t be happier with the positive interaction between the public and the states."

The contest reached nearly 3 million people on Facebook.