It stands to reason that the communities surrounding the Motor City would field some cool cop cars.

Many of us who are 40-plus remember fleets of Ford LTDs with 429-cid Police Interceptor engines and Dodge Monaco Police Pursuits with 440 Magnums.

The tradition continues.

When driving on I-94 through Harper Woods, don't be surprised to see a black Mustang GT with silver Le Mans stripes sitting on the shoulder. The car isn't sidelined by a flat tire or an overheated radiator.

It's shooting radar in your direction in an attempt to keep speeds down through an area that experiences a disproportionate number of accidents (I-94's Vernier Road curve).

Without external lights, the Mustang is a true Q-Ship.

"The GT gives us what we need to catch up to a person who's just blown by us at 90 mph," said Harper Woods patrol officer James Ruthenberg.

The Harper Woods Mustang GT runs with a high-performance 4.6-liter V-8 and has a top speed of over 140 mph.

Not to be outdone, the Grosse Pointe Farms Police Department just took delivery of a low-key, unmarked medium gray 2009 Mustang GT. While Harper Woods has a stretch of interstate to patrol, the highest speed limit in GPF is only 35 mph.

According to the Farms' Officer Zielinski, the typically quiet suburb wanted the Mustang because, "it's better for surveillance and helps us blend in on residential streets better than a Crown Vic."

Zielinski also told us the Mustang's greater agility was better suited to the bedroom community.

There's certainly a place for smaller, more agile vehicles in the American automobile portfolio, and this may benefit the Chrysler/Fiat alliance.

While news coming out of Chrysler's Auburn Hills HQ remains sparse due to an Italian edict mandating some quiet time during the restructuring honeymoon, the search for positive views on the merger continues.

Rich Davisson, president of the J.L. Schroth Co., has long embraced the Italian automaker.

Davisson's company restores Alfa Romeos and sees benefits behind the alliance aside from giving Chrysler yet another chance to survive. "Fiat in general, and Alfa Romeo in particular, have a great legacy of competition, engineering innovation, and style. If a car guy really looks at an Alfa, they'll see a remarkable car," he said.

Among Davisson's favorites is the 1969 GTV, a handsome four-seat performance coupe.

The J.L. Schroth Co. has two Alfa Romeos in the final stages of restoration, with another eight waiting their turn.

"I've never seen a rust-free Alfa, so we take the cars down to their unibody and literally replace every nut and bolt. Along the way, we disassemble accessories and subsystems to their most basic factor and then restore them to factory specs or better," Davisson said.

Currently, the Alfa restoration business is a happy diversion from his company's core business, the manufacture of rubber parts and components.

Said Davisson: "People who want to find out more about Alfa Romeos should visit www.AlfaBB.com. The owner groups and clubs devoted to the marque are deeps wells of information and lore."