Montana Department of Justice donates decoy cop car to Lakeside

The Montana Department of Justice has offered a replacement for the beloved decoy cop car that is being retired in Somers and Lakeside.

“Lucky,” the decoy cop car, has racked up too many needed repairs and is headed for retirement. The car was introduced after community members organized an effort to help curb speeding in the area around 2008. Originally, a local group was dedicated to maintaining the car and moving it around town, but in recent years it has fallen into the care of the Lakeside Somers Chamber of Commerce.

Executive Director Ali Coleman said they had written off replacing Lucky because the cost of used cars has gone up so much over the past year, but then the state Department of Justice stepped in with an offer. The agency is donating a former highway patrol car that is expected to be transported within the next few weeks from Helena.

Coleman said a few steps remain before Lucky can go out on patrol, including getting the vehicle registered, insured and outfitted with some decals.

“All the credit goes to our local community, who banded together to make calls to local police departments, car dealerships and more, looking for a used vehicle,” Coleman said.

She said community volunteers have also organized overnight storage for the car and will be responsible for moving him around to different locations in Lakeside and Somers. This is beneficial because the last Lucky suffered from overnight vandalism and weathering.

Coleman said she is hoping the new decoy cop car, a Dodge Charger, can make a few appearances during this fall and winter, weather permitting.

The old Lucky, a 1995 Crown Victoria, is in the process of being sold to a collector, who Coleman said is someone with a history in Polson and with the car itself.