Revised police cruiser revealed
Chief says he is ‘equally happy’ with redesigned vehicle
After criticism over plans to switch the force’s frontline fleet from white to dark grey, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders unveiled a new prototype Monday that retains the grey base but adds white doors.
The new design was done after the service conducted a survey that presented members of the public and police employees with a narrow choice of base colours: white; silver; dark blue; and black.
The results were tabulated and Ryerson University’s RTA School of Media created the design, Saunders said, after driving the latest version up to the back of police headquarters on Grenville St.
The vehicles were designed with visibility and professionalism in mind, Saunders told reporters.
Last November, following a backlash, city council passed a motion asking the Toronto Police Services Board to retain the current colour scheme of its patrol cars “pending further view.” The motion said “stealth grey” was too militaristic and sent the wrong message. Safety experts were also critical of grey for not being “on the visibility pyramid of paint colour.”
Saunders halted the design after police board members asked him to “clarify” the reasons for the change since they were not consulted.
“If I invest too much time in figuring out the colour of the police vehicle, then I’m doing something wrong.”
POLICE CHIEF MARK SAUNDERS
The board, which includes Mayor John Tory, also asked that community consultations be undertaken and requested that if a new design was warranted, it “reflect diversity, inclusiveness and mutual respect.”
Saunders said Monday he believes the new design meets those criteria, though he continues to disagree with critics who believed the all-grey forerunner was too militarized and not visible enough.
“I was very, very confident that if we used fluorescent white that would not be an issue, but you know, once again we have to listen to the public and sometimes they’ll interpret things differently,” he said.
“I’m equally happy with this vehicle and the way it looks and looking forward to seeing how the public feels about it.”
Saunders said as far as he’s concerned the matter is closed — though he is due to present the new design to the board at its monthly meeting Thursday.
“I’m going to focus on keeping the community safe. If I invest too much time in figuring out the colour of the police vehicle, then I’m doing something wrong.”
Toronto police officers have been patrolling city streets in the white, red and blue design since 2006.
A Toronto Police Service news release said the new design “achieves a balance between visibility, with white doors, reflective letter and emergency lights, and professionalism, with a sleek, simple design that focuses on the word “POLICE.”
The first newly designed cars will be on the road by November, the release said. It will take five years to replace the entire fleet of vehicles.