Washington Micro Bank BBS Pressroom

Here in Wisconsin USA, the appearance of the ‘LAPD’ style black and white paint jobs on police cars are becoming more and more popular. Just within the past few years alone, Fond Du Lac Wisconsin and Germantown Wisconsin as a couple of examples have switched over to the black and white paint jobs. At the time this article was written, (January of 2009) the city of Milwaukee Wisconsin is currently in the process of their switch over.

The city of Milwaukee has a long history of it’s traditional all white police cars with a blue stripe down the sides. However, in time things change. In my opinion this is a change for the better. It has always been my opinion that the black and white ‘LAPD’ style police car paint job has a unmistakable ‘LAW ENFORCEMENT’ appearance. Personally I’ve seen to many security vehicles that look like police cars of other colors. This has its advantages as well as disadvantages. For example a copper colored Crown Victoria sitting in a shopping center parking lot with all kinds of professional graphics and lights on it, … okay, if you from out of town, from a distance this vehicle could look like a police car, sheriff’s car or the security car it actually is. Get closer so you can actually read the graphics and now it is evident this is a security vehicle.

With the black and white ‘LAPD’ style paint jobs on police cars, there is no mistaking them as village, township or city law enforcement. Even from a distance. Personally I’d like to see more area’s go to the black and white ‘LAPD’ style paint jobs on their police cars. Something else I’d like to see regarding these paint jobs is a legal restriction. Since it is a unique paint job. I strongly feel there should be laws on the books restricting this black and white ‘LAPD’ style paintjob to only law enforcement police vehicles with law enforcement, official or police license plates. By no means allowing the paint job to be used anywhere in the civilian population, not even on security vehicles or vehicles belonging to a electronics store. Anyone doing so should be found guilty of some sort of violation. I feel such a paint job restriction would be a easy law to put together. Do I see it happening? I guess to accomplish this would involve a enthusiastic person or group to get the ball rolling in doing this.

Are these paint job conversions limited to Fon Du Lac, Germantown and Milwaukee? No, there are probably more, at least one more that I know of for sure. The village of Lannon Wisconsin which is currently running all white squad cars is going to be converting the squads to the black & white ‘LAPD’ style police paint job. At the time of this article (01-07-09) the Lannon police cars were still all white, but they will be changing and very soon.

Who chooses the colors of emergency vehicles? This is up to the Chief of each department, and yes it holds true with fire departments also. The Police Chief is the one that makes the decision on the color of the squads in his department. Often he or she may listen to the input of officers in the department in getting idea’s. Other times the Chief alone makes a decision without any input or idea’s from his or her department. Regardless of where the Idea’s come from, … it is the Chief that has the final say in the way his fleet will look.

Above I mentioned fire departments too. This is true with the colors of fire trucks also. It is up to the Chief, he or she has the final say. Here in Wisconsin we have many fire departments that use the conventional color of ‘Fire Engine Red’. Wisconsin isn’t limited to that though. Wisconsin also has departments with yellow trucks, departments with yellow and white trucks, departments with red and white trucks, … and my favorite, Fitchburg Wisconsin which has glossy metallic green trucks with white trim and plenty of chrome.