First off...great stories, and sorry to hear about your Dad, Rich.
I don't think there will be any "shunning", but I'll offer a perspective shared by many in this hobby.
These cars were beat to shit and back by many of the officers who drove them. To most of them, they were a tool to be used on the job, just like any other. Many cops, just like regular people, aren't "car guys". Some cars were taken care of better than others, but IMHO, it's a miracle that as many survived their service lives as have. I drove one in-service, and I saw some of this first hand.
That said, many more were ruined, wrecked, or crushed after being sold to the public when they came out of service.
So, if someone here wants to take a chance on the track with their SSP, to each their own. Gregg H. did that once and I'm sure still regrets what happened to his FHP car.
This website is about preservation....which everyone in this thread is doing. Deciding what level of restoration to take a car to is another story, but I'm happy that we can all share our opinions on it here without it being negative.