POLICE ABOUT-FACE
Toronto’s new grey cruisers are a far cry from Blinky, the talking police car of the 1970s,
There’s an angry new face on the streets of Toronto but it isn’t human: It’s the new Toronto police cruisers. The distinctive white Ford Crown Victorias are being slowly replaced by new Ford Interceptors, and instead of the distinctive and instantly noticeable blue and red swooshes on white metal, the new cars are painted dark grey and the police decals are muted, a shade similar to the rest of the car and to so many other cars on the road.
What once visibly represented the ideal of “To Serve and Protect” now says stealth, aggression and surveillance. Chief Mark Saunders calls the colour changes part of “modernizing” the force and that the decals are reflective, but symbolism is important, especially in something as ubiquitous as a police cruiser.
Police forces have always had these “stealth” cars, not exactly undercover, but not as visible as the standard cruisers. An entire fleet is different. Considering the difficulties the Toronto police have had of late, from issues raised by Black Lives Matter to the lingering spectre of the G20, the new aggressive look undermines whatever progress could be made.
Trust in civic institutions is already low — consider Brexit or some of the reasons behind Donald Trump’s rise — and further alienating the police from the people they’re ostensibly here to serve with this paramilitary, camouflage look is counterintuitive.
Toying with aggressive logos in the past few decades isn’t just a police trend. In 2004 the Blue Jays opted for a meaner looking bird logo with a razor-sharp beak: a bird of prey rather than the affectionate looking fowl mascot, but the Jays thankfully switched back to an update of the classic design in 2011. Car design itself has evolved in aggressive ways, too, with more angry beaks and Mad Max snarls at the front ends. The Interceptor, even its name, follows this trend away from the relatively neutral and blunt designs of the old Crown Vics.
The face of the police wasn’t always so mean. Back in the heyday of Metro Toronto, the cars were bright yellow, as distinctive as New York taxicabs and easy to spot when in distress. It was then the police adopted an actual face: “Blinky the talking police car.”
Those who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s will remember this semianthropomorphic car appearing at events and parades, teaching kids about traffic safety. The car went through a few versions, from yellow to white, and a short film was even made.
The friendlier face of the Toronto police by no means meant there weren’t problems in how Toronto was policed, historically, but at least on the surface the meanness was softened. A happy paint job isn’t going to solve any deeper problems with the force, but appearances matter when interacting with the public, and kindly Blinky might be a little scared of this aggressive new police look.
Toronto could use a bit more Blinky today. Last week, police released numbers that showed 1,083 pedestrians and cyclists had been struck by motorists since June. That’s nearly 10 strikes a day. It should be a number that sends chills down every Torontonian’s leg: even the most committed motorists are, at some point in the day, pedestrians themselves.
Everybody crosses the street. Everybody is a pedestrian. 1,083 hits in 3 months.
As many have pointed out, if this were 1,000 shootings, beatings, or people suddenly becoming ill, it would be considered a public safety or health crisis. If 1,000 panes of glass fell from condos over that time, we would tear down the buildings. But cars moving through Toronto are untouchable, even as the city becomes denser and more (inconveniently breakable) people are using the streets.
The streets are mean, and leadership around this public health crisis remains dangerously timid. What would Blinky say about Mayor John Tory’s announcement last week regarding traffic congestion at major intersections like Finch and Victoria Park Aves., where the additional provision for pedestrians consists of four signs telling turning cars to yield to pedestrians and cyclists. We all know how effective signs are: There was probably a traffic sign of some kind near each of those 1,083 hits.
Toronto streets are designed mean, and now even the look of those who are supposed to enforce the rules matches that meanness. All of this is by human decision. All of this could be changed if we wanted to, and if we had the leadership. Shawn Micallef writes every Saturday about where and how we live in the GTA. Wander the streets with him on Twitter @shawnmicallef