Seized Corvette Stingray added to Suffolk police fleet, aiming to deter drunken drivers, commissioner says
The Suffolk County Police Department is getting a new Chevy Corvette Stingray. Credit: SCPD
Suffolk County police announced plans to add a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray, seized following a DWI conviction in 2022, to the department's fleet.
In an Instagram post Thursday, Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the hope is the vehicle will deter drunken drivers.
The white Corvette, which made headlines this week after the Lindenhurst shop that shrink-wrapped it with police markings posted photos on Facebook, will be used as part of a police anti-drunken driving campaign — on display at parades, car shows and events such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving programs, Catalina said in the post. The mid-engine, targa-topped two-seat eighth-generation Corvette is wrapped not just in police patrol unit colors, but also with messages that read: "DWI SEIZURE" and "Seized Under Suffolk County Local DWI Law."
The license plate holders are adorned with white on blue plates reading: "SEIZED."
"We took this car and we repurposed it," Catalina said in the Instagram post, which also features the Vette's throaty engine being revved.
The base price of a new Corvette C8 Stingray in 2020 was $59,995 — and, depending on how a car has been optioned, could go for more than $70,000.
Suffolk police want drivers to know, if they get behind the wheel intoxicated, their vehicles could be seized too.
"I think this vehicle could stop somebody from drinking and driving," Catalina said in the post, adding: "And, as a result of stopping drinking and driving that could undoubtedly save lives. And if we're able to save a life as a result of this? You can't put a price on that."
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
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