Manassas Park Police Cruisers Get Facelifts
If you thought the police cruisers looked a little different, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you.
Some of Manassas Park's 30 or so sworn officers are patrolling the streets in cruisers with brand-new looks, the News and Messenger reports.
The plan is for all 14 of the Manassas Park Police cruisers to undergo a cosmetic nip-tuck this year, transforming from the 10-year-old blue-and-white stripe body style to the newer, black-and-white graphic, Manassas Park Police Chief John Evans told the News and Messenger.
The department came up with the new look after considering suggestions from officers and staff members.
Evans said the new look costs about $600 per cruiser. The money comes out of the police department's annual budget, specifically its maintenance and service fund.
The upgrade was timely, as the paint on some of the cruisers was starting to show its age, the chief said.
The new look has been well received by the community, Manassas Park officials said.
The department began the transition last year and is expected to finish up this summer.
Concerned
10:09 pm on Monday, March 26, 2012
Look good
Jamie M. Rogers
10:12 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
I agree, Concerned! Very nice.
X
12:38 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Seems like they're trying to make a small town police force seem more important by changing the colours to black, to copy some of the bigger forces such as LAPD.
Mises
3:23 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
I am unaware of any standard practice that relates importance (however you want to define that) to the color of a patrol car. There are over 17,000 police departments in the United States and choice of car design does not hinge on that. The largest police department in the country (NYPD) has an all white car with light blue decals...are you saying that they aren't important?
Kris Day
2:06 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
So what if they did? "Look good"!
Bloomie
6:04 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
"The upgrade was timely, as the paint on some of the cruisers was starting to show its age, the chief said."
Misleading statement/article. I don't think the cars are 10 years old. Due to the mileage they tend to put on the cars, I think they are replaced within 3 to 5 years at which time they would get the new decals/paint. When's the last time you got your car repainted? I think with the financial problems the city is having they could have reduced the budget or moved some of the funds over to the officer's salaries.
I'm sure the new design will cause criminals to think twice before they break the law. (I'll bet they checked the spelling carefully this time.)LOL