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Every police wagon purchased by the Trenton Police Department, from the first in 1908 (pictured above) to the last in the 1990s, was equipped to function as an ambulance. During the 1950s these wagons were known as "Patrol-Ambulances" and officers would patrol their beat with them. The reasoning was that, in the event of a medical emergency, the response time of the ambulance would be greatly decreased.
Most times however prisoners were transported in the wagons and for this reason the rear compartment needed to be escape proof. Heavy metal mesh can be seen covering the windows in the rear compartments. In the 1950s the department moved to the more traditional type ambulance. During the 1960s the "Ambulance service" was abandoned, however the patrol wagons were still equipped to transport patients. This duel duty persisted until the end of the 1990s.
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