On the scale of public shame, this Nissan Leaf pursuit car may be the only thing worse than getting pulled over by a bicycle cop. Starting today, unlucky Portuguese drivers will be the first to confirm this suspicion.

The Portuguese Polícia de Segurança Pública, the police branch that patrols large cities, has taken delivery of eight all-electric Leaf models decked out with flashing lights and sirens. Their purpose, according to the police, is to help patrol schools and reduce pollution in the city, but Nissan also wants us to think Portuguese police will use them for stealth operations to "arrive at the scene of a crime in near silence." On the TV show "Weeds," a drug dealer buys a fleet of black Priuses for his gang to "sneak up on mother$#@$s" -- so Nissan may have a valid point (if a valid point can be taken from a fictional character called "U-Turn.")

The Portuguese police won't be patrolling highways, but they could. Remember that the Leaf is a zippy little electric car that tops out at 90 mph. With an estimated 100-mile range, the Leaf, if not quite making financial sense at $40,000 each, can run on cheap electricity in the confines of a designated patrol area.

Nissan didn't say if the police Leafs were fitted with uprated alternators to connect equipment used by on-duty officers, or if the seats can fit a big gun belt. Either way, don't expect an American cop to trade in his Hemi Charger -- unless New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg orders even more Nissans.

[Source: Nissan via Edmunds]