Return to Black and White

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Police Chief Edward Flynn is bringing back the classic look, starting with 54 recently purchased white cars that will be painted black in the front and rear before they're sent on patrol.

"When you're moving assertively on many fronts in terms of organizational change and crime fighting strategies, it's not a bad thing to have a little fun," Flynn said Friday. "The cruisers will be rolling out, and they're going to roll out with a different look."

"Fun"?

That's a little strange, kind of a poor choice of words by Flynn.

It sounds like the cars are new toys for playing cops and robbers. Of course, they aren't. Protecting the city of Milwaukee is no game and Flynn knows that.

Black-and-white cars were part of the Milwaukee police fleet from the late 1950s until about 1964, when the department went with all white Plymouths, according to Lt. Steve Basting, vice president of the Milwaukee Police Historical Society. Flynn said the familiar blue stripe was added in the early 1980s.

"It will be outstanding," Basting said of the new, yet traditional, look. He said plans include using a graphic on the doors of the department's badge with a star in the center and 1855, the year of the department's founding.

A prototype Ford Crown Victoria, the standard marked police car, has been on display inside the Police Administration Building downtown this week for officers' review.

Flynn said the reaction has been good so far and plans are to paint the new patrol cars partially black at a cost of $300 each. The existing fleet will not be repainted. Going forward, cars will be ordered in black and white, according to department officials.

So the new look will be adopted gradually. There won't be a massive expense on new paint to redo the existing fleet. That's good.

Milwaukee joins other police departments by returning to black and whites.

...Just this week, the Minneapolis Police Department unveiled its new black and whites, last seen there in 1973. The department had been using a basically white design but came back to black and white to increase police visibility, according to the department's Web site.

In the Milwaukee area, other departments using black-and-white squad cars include Brookfield, Franklin, Glendale, Greenfield, South Milwaukee and Germantown.

In Franklin, where the department switched to black and white in the early 1990s, Police Chief Rick Oliva said, "It conveys an image of authority, of professionalism. It gives a very clear, crisp view of your authority as a police department, and it's more visible I believe than just the plain white vehicle. That's part of our function, to provide a high visibility, to give that image of safety and security in a community."

Now that makes sense. There's a purpose behind the paint. It's not just about fun.

Increasing police visibility is always a good thing.

I like the retro look. It's a reminder that law and order is making a comeback.

I like the timing of the change and the message it sends to the bad guys. The Milwaukee Police Department is undergoing a makeover, and it's more than paint job deep.