New sheriff
patrol cars go high-tech, black and white
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SALISBURY -- It's a bit Pimp My Ride meets extreme makeover -- law enforcement style. Part car, part video game, the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office is phasing out its older patrol vehicles and rearming itself with fully-loaded enhanced patrol cars. Standard technology includes high-tech digital cameras with video units, multi-directional Stalker radar detectors, digital radios and mobile data terminals which allow a deputy to finish nearly every piece of paperwork from the driver seat.
"I think it's crisp. It's pristine. I think this could catch your attention very quickly," Lewis said. "Black and white is readily recognized as being a police car. I thought it would be a good time to change the colors of the cars." About 10 have hit the street so far, but 14 will be ready by next June. It's only about 10 percent of the 96-vehicle fleet, but they're already making a buzz. Deputy 1st Class Ed Tull is one of the lucky six deputies who can use these vehicles at work and as a take-home vehicle, a department allowance. "So far it's great. They definitely are made to make our jobs more easy, more efficient. The video unit makes it easier to prosecute cases," Tull said. "I've definitely had a reaction from the public. They tell me it looks really sharp. I have to agree." The technology price tag alone in these 2007 Ford Police Interceptors cost more than the car itself. The accessories package on this vehicle tops $22,000. It was only $19,500 for the car. The money, however, isn't all taxpayer dollars. Much of the technology is paid for through grants or seized drug money, Lewis said, adding that $104,000 seized during a routine traffic stop earlier this year was forfeited to the department this month. Captain Travis Yates, the head of Tulsa, Okla.'s Precision Driving Training Unit, said black-and-white colors are coming back nationwide because they're known as the law enforcement signature. "I think anyone in America would recognize a black and white as a police car just as they would recognize a fire truck as red," said Yates, who also serves as moderator of Policedriving.com. "With the all-white scheme, departments had to put more and more graphics on it and you had to compete with security guards and taxi cabs." This scheme had been well-recognized in the 1950s and '60s; however, due to keeping costs down since no car color meant a cheaper price tag, departments eventually shifted in the '70s and '80s to solid white. White was also seen as a way to soften the image of police. Now automakers are charging less for the yin and yang vehicle colors. Increased visibility is also desired, so black and white is a way to make a statement, Travis said. The black-and-white color scheme is also recommended by safety experts because it stands out in the day and night, said Jim Solomon, a National Safety Council defensive driving expert. By the end of his first term, Lewis said these vehicles will be the dominant patrol vehicle in the county. "It's safe to say in the next year that we will phase out all the white cars, and we'll have all black and white cars," Lewis said. "We'll phase new ones in. We have no intention of going back and retrofitting. We'll phase the old ones out and phase the new ones in." Delmar's Police Department also uses a black-and-white color scheme, and Chief Hal Saylor said residents spoke highly of the shift made in 2002. "Everybody in the community loved it. It made us stand out," Saylor said. "I think it's neat (Lewis) is doing it. I think it will look sharp." Additional Articles: Austin Police Go Black & White
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