Wichita police vehicle fleet gets a facelift

The Wichita Police Department’s fleet of vehicles is getting a new look.

The first makeover in eight years will see the 162 police vehicles painted black and feature light-gray reflective decals on the sides of the patrol cars and trucks, officials said.

“We’re getting an overwhelming positive response” to the new design since it was unveiled on social media, Capt. Brian White said.

The new police vehicles will be phased in as current vehicles age out of service, White said. None of the older cars will be repainted.

“It’ll probably take a couple of years” before the transition is completed, he said. Cars are phased out once they accumulate between 100,000 and 150,000 miles.

“We’ve been driving some very old vehicles in anticipation of this day,” White said.

One patrol car and one police truck currently feature the new look, though nine Dodge Chargers with the new look will roll out soon.

Police chose the new scheme in response to a department-wide survey that asked officers the color they wanted the new patrol cars. Black is a good choice, White said, because the color is uniform regardless of the vehicle manufacturer.

The new look is less expensive to maintain, too.

Wichita police’s current patrol vehicles are white-and-black with yellow decals and American flag detailing.

“Our current design is somewhat complex,” White said. “The decals flake off over time” and are more expensive to replace.

The department has received some public criticism over the new color scheme because the vehicles are black. But White said they’ll be easy to see at night.

Because all of the decals are reflective, “they’ll stand out” at night when a light shines on them, White said. “It’s not a stealth vehicle.”

The new vehicles will all have light bars on the roof and identification numbers on the back and sides. That will make it easier for residents to identify individual vehicles for dispatchers in case they have questions or concerns about being stopped, White said.

Those features will help residents differentiate police officers from imposters, he said.

“We want our cars to be very identifiable,” White said.

This story was originally published October 22, 2014 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Wichita police vehicle fleet gets a facelift."