# Newton Police Crusiers, Identity Crisis???



## Elusk4

Cops change their colors, again
By Andrew Lightman/ Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Two years ago, the Newton Police Department, trying to boost morale and energize the officers, repainted its old fleet of white cruisers a sleek black.

But after dozens of e-mails, letters and phone calls complaining about the stealthy cruiser colors, Mayor David Cohen and acting Police Chief Robert McDonald are changing colors again.

This time they'll be royal blue.

"I have decided to heed the voice of the people on this matter and return our police colors to a blue-and-white color scheme," Cohen said as he and McDonald unveiled the new blue and white cruisers at press conference on Monday.

As soon as next month, Newton residents can expect to see the first redesigned police cruisers on the street - even though the city's rank and file police officers are opposed to the color change.

The cars will have royal blue front and back ends, to match the official City Seal, with white doors and roofs.

Rather than repaint any existing cars, McDonald said the new colors will be used on newly acquired cruisers only, at no additional cost to the taxpayers. Six have already been ordered, and another 10 are expected to be replaced within a year and a half, McDonald said.

The new design selected is a slight variation of a black and white model approved by a design committee back in 2002. That version was ultimately rejected when former Police Chief Jose Cordero opted to go with the committee's other recommendation.

Cordero spent $10,400 in money seized during drug busts to repaint eight cruisers that were white with a blue stripe to black. Eight other cars with the black color configuration were new.

At the time, Cordero said he was worried that residents were confusing the white cruisers with taxis or Boston College police cars.

But since, many residents have complained that the black cruisers are intimidating, and designed to seek up on unsuspecting residents.

Of all former chief's reform measures, Cohen said the painting the police cruisers black was the one not worth keeping.

"It became clear to me in reading and hearing from dozens of people that the residents of Newton did not feel comfortable with the color black for our community police cars," Cohen said. "I want to thank the people that voiced their opinion on this issue, and want you to know that I have heard you."

But Newton's men and women in blue aren't happy with the decision.

Jay Babcock, president of the Newton Police Assocation Union, said the mayor's color choice was asserted against the will of his officers during a planning meeting.

"The mayor is micromanaging the department," Babcock said.

Black-and-white cruisers, not blue-and-white was the union preference, Babcock said.

"It's a traditional color that represents police departments," Babcock said. "Los Angeles has it, Needham has it."

Now all black, Newton's police cruisers were white with blue stripes, and before that powder blue with blue writing. Back in the 1930s and '40s, Newton's cars were the traditional black and white that was standard for most of the country at the time.

The color of Newton's police cars will be changing from black to blue over the next year. But an unscientific poll suggests that some locals still prefer an earlier color choice.

Newton resident Rebecca Warner said she prefers the old white with a blue stripe cruisers that were replaced in 2002 because they stand out best.

"At least it's an improvement," Warner said, when showed a picture of the new blue and white cars.

Chris Maggiore, who works in Newton Centre, also said the white ones were the best, adding that the new cruisers will look "Boston-ish."

"I think the white ones are the most noticeable," Maggiore said. "They're easier to see at night."

But Lindsay Brandt said she prefers the black cruisers which are about to become obsolete, because "they look more professional" than the new ones.

"[The new cruiser] looks like a toy car to me," Brandt said. "I would be more intimidated by the black one."

"I like the black ones best, myself," agreed Rich Payne, an East Bridgewater resident who works in Newton Centre. "They stand out more. You definitely know it's a Newton cop right when you see it."

However, Kevin Shea, a Brighton resident visiting Newton Centre, said the new colors are a good upgrade. The old white cars looked too much like taxis and the new ones are too dark, he said.

"So the new one, I'd probably say is best," Shea said.


Click on link belowto see new design[web]

http://www2.townonline.com/newton/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=93043


----------



## dcs2244

As a former Newton resident I must opine:

Newton is more like a 'big college' than a city. Therefore, it is not surprising to me to see the mayor dictating to the police department. This is similar to the "beautification committees" that rule many campus' (campi?)

Royal Blue sucks! What's wrong with black and white?

Maybe they can paint the cruisers pink, and have Ken and Barby drive them around! 

I had the opportunity to work for NPD...but I already had this job, and their money was kaka (background to history: my landlord died an unattended death...I found the body...in his dump truck next to my apartment...NPD showed up and upon finding out I worked for MIT, they became derogatory, stating that we didn't deserve the money we were paid because we weren't "real police" [we made wicked more money than they did...'no, I'm not a real cop, but I make twice what you do, Bozo'...go check an after-the-fact house break, genius]!

Good luck to the Newton guys...hopefully you can lateral to a real city!


----------



## bosoxmanny

Wow,
I joined this website cause I thought it would be interesting to keep in touch with people back home (I accepted a job as an officer with a department just outside of DC). Instead what I get is a bunch of what we call "sparks". Who gives a crap what color car you drive are you kidding me!!?? Give me a purple one i dont care! So long as I'm not spending my own money in gas and putting mileage on my own car I could care less. My paycheck will remain the same whether my car is blue and white or pink and blue I cant even believe this is a discussion!!! As far as Newton cops giving the campus guys a rash of $#%*. The department I work for has multiple agencies in its jurisdiction to include an airport police, pentagon police, US Park Police and George Mason Univ. Police. While it's difficult to keep track of each individual department nobody down here would ever say something so stupid as to "are these guys real police?" You know what I tell everyone who brings that stuff up? I tell them "yeah if i were a campus cop and you said something like that to me I'd tell you, Ok i'll remember that next time i see you getting your ass kicked on the side of the road, I'll just drive by and say 'Well I'm not gonna stop and help him cause I'm not a real cop according to him" God that pisses me off thats one thing about back home you guys have no clue how to work with other jurisdictions to your advantage come to DC where theres a shooting every hour then tell me how much you hate other jurisdictions!!


----------



## Jeep

Wow, somebody needs to take his Ritalin!! :wink: 

Bosoxmanny, please notice this particular thread is in the "just shootin' the breeze" forum.


----------



## Guest

Who do you work for? Why are you not employed in MA? Why are you repeating what you said in the topic "masscops"? No matter how much we complain, we work together. It is like brothers and sisters in a family fighting; But the love is there. Apparently you are too good for this family. Maybe you should find another web site. 
As for the shootings in your area. Maybe if law enforcement and city gov't were up to par there wouldn't be as many. We seem to handle it.


----------



## HousingCop

I think bosoxmanny needs a major league asswhoopin'. Just my opinion. 

No wonder you couldn't get hired in your home state, you seem a bit unmanageable / unstable considering your 2 posts seem to reiterate the same theme, over &amp; over. 

Get a clear thought in your head, unstick your keyboard &amp; write something intelligent. Otherwise, go back from where you came from. The underside of your rock misses you.


----------



## dcs2244

Sorry, bosox, I was just relating a story and commenting on a topic...we're here for fun and entertainment: remember, it's only a movie, so relax... 8)


----------



## CarRamRod

Why am I getting heated reading this thread when it's supposed to about colors on a police cruiser. This is getting ridiculous. Can we get a little more off topic. Now as far as the color of the cruisers, I guess I'd have to ask, Are the residents really that offended by a dark cruiser? I think maybe it's just the way that "city" is.


----------



## Sarge31

It sounds to me that the Mayor and acting Chief have wayyyyyyyyy too much time on their hands if they are putting this much effort into changing cruiser design. I'm sure that there are probably more pressing issues that they could focus on. BTW, its pretty obvious that the Mayor..and the Mayor alone, wanted the cruiser design changed. I highly doubt that he received dozens of e-mails from citizens expressing their displeasure with the cars. Get a life over there in Newton Mr. Mayor


----------



## SOT

" But after dozens of e-mails, letters and phone calls complaining about the stealthy cruiser colors, Mayor David Cohen and acting Police Chief Robert McDonald are changing colors again. "

Translation

"Too many of my friends where getting busted for OUI and speeding, so we need to make the cars easier to see"


----------



## Guest

What do the citizens really think? Maybe the officers union should point out to the public how much this silliness is costing them. The mayor should use the paint for the road markings. :idea:


----------



## MVS

> Back in the 1930s and '40s, Newton's cars were the traditional black and white that was standard for most of the country at the time.


Umm, yeah.... and it's becoming the standard again. Hello?!?! Open your eyes people... black and whites are emerging all over... I guess this reporter doesn't get out much :shock:


----------



## EOD1

wow, that sux, I thought the black cruiser was pretty sharp. I actually use the one of the pictures from the gallery for screen saver.


----------



## Ranger2

I see Newton's cruisers everyday. I must say. They are sharp. Too bad they are changing them. Quite the intimidation factor....


----------



## Opie

Too Bad! definitely one of my favorite designs. Real Sharp!


----------



## scungie

The color is the color, whether it be silly or not, but the silliness is how ridiculous the city is fighting on what the color should be...Now I don't think anyone can tell me that black crusiers dont look good...but the person who put in the black crusiers was Old chief Cordero, the great almighty, so Newton thought. Now the mayor wants it changed....maybe he is trying to erase that huge mistake he made by hiring that Chief, and getting it out of his mind and the city's.

As far as blue and white, they are exactly what BC has, not that it is a bad thing, but should differentiate I think, and I would be more of a traditionalist, with the Black and White....but honestly I dont think anything is wrong with the Black!!! From what I know BC has a great working relationship with Newton, but they dont need to look like each other.

Also as far as the residents, the feel intimidated by the black...they should feel intimidated by any police car, if they feel intimidated at all, regardless of color, cause if they are speeding, they are speeding by a blue and white, or black cruiser it doesnt matter, they will still speed....my two cents


----------



## dcs2244

Black and white is the way to go...I always thought the LA cars were sharp! When the lemmings see a black-and-white, they know what it is: a police car.


----------



## Guest

I love the state trooper car colors, very intimidating when you get pulled over, I would like to see what the colors look like in reverse that may be a nice looking car. 

Also black and white is nice, Walpole PD has Black and White now, and it looks awesome.


----------



## ROBOCOP1982

That is absurd. :shock: One resident is quoted as a saying she liked the other ones better because they 'stand out' more, well she must usually be doing something wrong if it necessary for the cruisers to stand out. Maybe the people of Newton should put huge neon signs on the top of it's cruisers!

As a sidenote, the CTSP does not even mark its cruisers!


----------



## 725

Putting aside the color scheme for a moment, it must be nice to be able to repaint your cruisers and order 16 new ones in a year and a half. Is Newton taking laterals???


----------



## thumper2168

I heard that a while back they got leather jackets a huge cost $$$ and that some people complained that they look like the gestapo soooooo they got rid of them.. tot a tune of $23,000


----------



## MVS

Crazy-irishman @ Thu Sep 30 said:


> Also black and white is nice, Walpole PD has Black and White now, and it looks awesome.


Several towns have the same graphics style as Walpole PD... 2 that come to mind are Southbrorough and Natick... I saw a few others at MHQ a few weeks ago, but I can't remember what towns. They are very sharp.

















Oops.. ok, Southboro is a little different. But Natick is the same


----------



## 2-Delta

What the hell does a car looking "intimidating" mean? I don't understand that at all. If you're scared of a black car, you need some serious mental help. I find getting pulled over for speeding is "intimidating", let's take away ch. 90 from all PO in Mass.


----------



## EOD1

actually mendon switched about 2.5 years back from the Ford blue to black in white with a similar lettering color scheme. they look sharp also.


----------



## DanB

I love Southampton's crusiers, one of the most intimidating crusiers in western mass imo

http://www.southamptonpolice.com/images/Mvc-379f.jpg
http://www.southamptonpolice.com/images/Mvc-378f.jpg
http://www.southamptonpolice.com/images/Mvc-380f.jpg

but black and whites look sharp too


----------



## COLE

725- Last time they didn't buy all new cars. They switched the paint scheme as the cars were ordered. So as of right now there are a few white cars with blue stripes, and the rest are the new black cars. Now maybe we can add a third color configuration to the fleet.


----------



## MVS

Those Southhampton cruisers would be great for Night time patrols :twisted:


----------



## Guest

the way i see it, any police car can be viewed as "intimidating" by the public. its a @$#&amp;&amp;^% police car...the majority of the population is not happy to see a police car when it is there for them, no matter what the color. As for the newton cruisers, i get stuck in one of the old white cars with a blue stripe...the cars are dying, the paint job is what it is...plain. the black cars are awesome, the look great...the new cars are a bit of a change, they certainly aren't as nice as the all black ones, but the lighting in them is much better in my opinion. Its a toss up...

that's my .02


----------



## Se7en

Anything is better than the white with blue stripes cruisers. Personally, I dont care what the cruiser looks like, as long as it handles well and the computer inside it works.


----------



## dcs2244

Black and White (ala LAPD ) is classic for a local cruiser: everybody knows who it is and guess what? I reckon most cops' don't care if you like them, as long as you fear them...so the lemmings can just get over it...when "the man" comes and saves your stupid a-double, I doubt the color of the cruiser will matter too much! :shock:


----------



## marlboroughpd

screw the identity crisis, being more obvious means less chance of running into someone doing something wrong. Galls has a special sticker that looks like an unmarked car until it is hit by light and reflects it. All part of stealth. I bet all the people that complained were all criminals and were pissed because they were getting caught. The way I see it, the mayor is doing this to increase his chances of getting reelected.


----------



## dcs2244

Nah, in Newton they're all bolsheviks! They think "the man" is going to cart them off to Bergin-Belson...Glad I didn't take the job.


----------



## Wiggum_1

This is definately a case of the Mayor micro-managing the dept. It was bad enough that he would take a fire truck out of service to make himself look good, and the acting chief is going along with the mayor only because he wants the job.
The black crusiers were awsome, and black and white would look even better.


----------



## Guest

the citizens need to realize that you can't announce our presence and still expect the police to catch every criminal...the element of surprise is a great tool...o well...not any more...


----------



## Foxracingmtnridr

I'd love to touch this subject but it's my hometown now and I really want a job from this next test 

Scott c:


----------



## stm4710

Danvers crusiers are nice. 8)


----------



## Wiggum_1

Just last night on my way to work I saw Newton's new crusiers, they're black and white, not the baby blue and white and have the same lettering as the link on Elusk4's post.


----------



## marlboroughpd

Grafton PD just recently switched
Mendon PD
Walpole PD
West Boylston PD
Agawam PD
Duxbury PD with the gold decals instead of blue
Another Duxbury PD car
Easton PD
Gloucester PD  with gold
Holbrook PD
Another Holbrook PD car
Hubbardston PD
Paxton PD in gold
Peabody PD
Pembroke PD
Another Pembroke PD car
Southbridge PD with black
Medford PD with similar scheme
Dennis PD with the stripes on an all white car


----------



## marlboroughpd

Natick PD
Franklin PD (nice pics)
Millis PD
Plainville PD
Saugus PD in gold


----------



## drewpopo

I know I'm going to get a rash of s&amp;%T for this but, at what point are we suppose to be stealthy? I thought our job is to be seen, and to help deter crime from being visible. As far as a cruiser being intimidating, what is that suppose to mean? Criminals don't care what color your car is, the only person that would be intimidated would be John Q Public who ran a stop sign and it's not the color of the cruiser that scares him it's the fact that he may get a fine. 

At night time you are not going to be able to tell blue from black from green. If you are trying to be stealthy you should not be driving a Crown Vic, you should be in a 96 Honda Civic. Every person knows what a Crown Vic’s headlight configuration looks like and can pick them out form a mile away.


----------



## scungie

They are blue, salty dirty blue that looks black, but they are def a navy blue


----------



## Wiggum_1

Navy blue is a hell of a lot better than the baby blue the mayor originally wanted.


----------



## Macop

I hate to say it but Bosoxmany is right, and I am only saying that throught my personal experience.


----------



## Macop

I hate to say it but Bosoxmany is right, and I am only saying that throught my personal experience.

But anyway, someone tell these morons not to worry about the color of the dam cars in Newton. I cant believe these moron residents have have better to do than complian about the color of a dam Police car. Hey if you aint gonna have to drive it don't worry about it.


----------



## Macop

I still say Sunderland has the best cars. Black and Charcoal grey, very sharp.


----------



## massirishcop

I like the all black cruisers myself.............very sharp looking.


----------

