Black and white is an American slang term for police cars painted in large black and white panels or generally any "marked" police car. Historically, this scheme is favored by North American police forces as it allows unambiguous recognition of patrol units from a significant distance. However, because the color scheme is not standardized, every police agent in the US and Canada can choose their own color scheme. The most common variant of the black and white color scheme is white roof and four white doors, the second most common being white roof and only two front doors. In France and Sweden, black and white police cars have black roofs in order to be seen in the high snow.
Video Black and white (police vehicle)
United States
Los Angeles Police Department
Like most police agents throughout southern California, the vehicles of the ordered Los Angeles Police Department were painted with black clearcoats with roofs, doors, and pillars painted white from the factory. Three vehicles are approved for use in the Los Angeles Police Department, they are Ford Taurus, Ford Explorer and Dodge Charger. Only sedans are allowed to engage in vehicle pursuits, in accordance with departmental policies. Options available from Ford that are ordered by the department include hand-held spotlight bars, 16-inch heavy duty steel wheels with chrome center lids, and ballistic panels on two front doors. Installed equipment includes light rods, front siren grill and control boxes from Federal Signal Corporation, Motorola's two-way digital radio, notebook PCs serve as Cellular data terminals, and partitions to separate the rear seats from the driver and front passenger seat. The so-called "A-car" and "X-car" (patrol eXtra) also have a rifle mounted between the front seats in front of the partition.
Most police vehicles have at least two rear bumper stickers: one reading "No Reason - For Domestic Violence" and another for "Substance Abuse Drug Abuse". On the back side panel is a black and white sticker that says "EMERGENCY DIAL 9-1-1 Fire Police Medical." The front door seals the seals of Los Angeles City, the departmental slogan "to protect and serve" as well as the "store number" of five cities and city department names (POLICE) across the city. The last three numbers of store numbers (used to identify all city-operated vehicles) are reprinted on the roof to help the air unit identify the car visually. On a bar is a number that identifies which division belongs to the unit (eg 25 will be "Southern Traffic Division" or 3 will be "Southwest Region").
These cars appeared in the television drama NBC Adam-12:
- 1967,1968 and 1969 Plymouth Belvedere
- 1971 Plymouth Satellite
- 1972 AMC Matador
Maps Black and white (police vehicle)
Canada
The Ontario Provincial Police recently (2007) returned to the black and white scheme for their fleet. The troops used this scheme in their police car from 1941 to 1989, giving them the nickname "Holsteins" during that period, especially in the 1950s.
The British Columbia Transportation Police Service Authority in British Columbia also uses a black and white scheme.
The West Vancouver Police Department in British Columbia has also started using black and white.
Edmonton Police Service returns to black and white color schemes for newly acquired vehicles starting in 2011; existing vehicles retain their white color scheme.
Abbotsford Police Department in Abbotsford, British Columbia now has a black-and-white scheme for their vehicles.
Vancouver, Victoria, Port Moody, New Westminster, and Central Saanich all use black and white police cars.
Police Saanich have chosen blue and white versions for their cars.
Calgary Police Service has replaced its blue and white Ford Crown Victoria with Ford Interceptor Black and white sedans from early September 2013.
Chile
Until 1998, all Carabineros de Chile vehicles were painted in the same pattern as the LAPD used. These days the vehicles are painted in a pattern that includes green and white, this makes the cars look like police uniforms that are all green.
Finnish
Finnish police cars are known everyday as "Musta Maija" ("Black Maria"). Since Finland is a bilingual state, police patrol vehicles display the text "Police" in both Finland ("Polyisi", on the right side of the vehicle) and Sweden ("Polis", on the driver's side).
French
French police vehicles painted like the Swedes before switching to all white with red/white/blue striping.
Japanese
All Japanese police vehicles are painted and marked in the same way. Japanese police vehicles painted black and white with the top of the vehicle painted white. However, motorcycles are usually all white and riot control and rescue vehicles are painted in blue steel.
New Zealand
All Traffic Police cars from the Ministry of Transport throughout the 1970s and 1980s were black with white doors and roofs. It distinguishes them from all white cars of New Zealand Police. The traffic enforcement function of the MOT was incorporated into the New Zealand Police Department in 1992. Currently NZ Police vehicles are a single color, usually white, often with signs of Battenberg.
Portugal
Until the mid-1990s, the Lisbon City Police vehicle was painted in the same pattern as the Los Angeles Police Department. The black and white livery of the vehicle reflects the color of the Lisbon City Flag. Since the mid-1990s, these police force vehicles were all white, with lines along the sides plotting with black and white gyronny fields from the Lisbon Flag.
Swedish
Swedish police vehicles originally painted black and white, but behind the pattern of Los Angeles Police. Swedish police vehicles have black roofs, doors, luggage and hood or black roof, hood and boots. This is out of necessity, due to heavy snowfall in Sweden because of the high snow covering everything but the white roof roof will be hard to see. In slang they are named black and white catchers.
Gallery
- See the image on this link for the Ontario Provincial Police Interceptor
See also
- the Battenburg sign
- Sandwich jam (hang)
- Livery
- Panda Car
- SWAT vehicles
- Sillitoe Tartan
- Air roof mark
- Blues and pairs
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia