To the anonymous person who gave me a -1 and left this comment:
You're right, I don't get it.
I want police to have the best tool for the job. If a beat police officer has to make a longer (say 25 yards plus), accurate shot, then a patrol rifle is a much better tool than a pistol or a shotgun.
What is the likelihood of an officer having to make such a shot? Relatively low, but not non-zero. During the initial response to Columbine, one of the officers on scene was exchanging fire with one of the shooters from the parking lot, at a range over 50 yards, using his pistol. If he'd had a patrol rifle then he might have been able to stop the carnage sooner.
If the officer is going to have a patrol rifle, then it has to be accessible, in the front of the cruiser, because if the officer needs the patrol rifle, then he needs it real bad and needs it right now. It takes longer for the officer to get the rifle out of the trunk.
In many police cars, the shotgun used to be mounted between the seats, with the muzzle pointed upwards. Most police cruisers now have a computer terminal there, so that position is often no longer feasible. Some agencies use a rack that is on the ceiling of the cruiser, some use one across the divider behind the front seats. It doesn't matter to me which one the department uses, as long as the rifle is accessible.
So, you're right, I just don't get it. I do not understand anger at the position of the patrol rifle. It makes no sense to me.