Victor Lozada was a 19-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department when he was killed in a motorcycle crash while escorting then-presidential contender Hillary Clinton to a campaign rally in Oak Cliff on February 22, 2008. His death yielded a momentary pause to the hard-fought Democratic primary, an organ donation that let a Tulsa police officer walk again, and, apparently, a pretty sweet ride.
It was in Lozada's honor that DPD commissioned its own lowrider, complete with chrome rims, Lamborghini-style doors and official department lettering. I spotted it over the weekend at the head of a long caravan of non-DPD lowriders rolling slow down Grand Avenue. (I learned later that this was the delivery stage of an annual toy drive sponsored by the United Lowriders Association and Santa Cops).
The car was designed by Joe Ruiz, who runs a shop called JB Kustoms in Oak Cliff. He was profiled by Lowrider magazine back in 2010. He said its mostly brought out for community events, school visits, and the like. But the important thing is, it exists.
