Though the Cal Poly University Police Department (UPD) added one new car to the fleet this year, chief Bill Watton said he hopes students will think there are several.
The new car, which is the only black and white marked car in the department, is more noticeable than the old white cars, Watton said.
“It has an effect of making people think there (are) more police cars out, because they’re more visible,” he said.
There is a larger trend of California police agencies switching to black and white cars, which are traditionally associated with California Highway Patrol (CHP). Watton said this is partially because of the diminishing state funding to public agencies.
“Part of that trend is because these cars are more visible to the public, and the public may think there’s more cars than there were,” he said. “Because budgets are what they are and everybody’s cutting back, and so on, it’s just one of those small things that enhances the visibility.”
Though mechanical engineering graduate student Derek Simon said he has not seen the new car around campus. When shown a picture of it he immediately said the new car catches his eye more than the old ones.
“(The new design) stands out more,” he said. “It has more colors, it’s easier to spot, and it’s more recognizable as a police car with the white and black instead of all white. That’s kind of like standard Highway Patrol.”
There is now variation among the UPD police cars on campus, as five of them are fully white cars styled like those in use by the New York Police Department. Watton said he hopes to replace one car per year.
If UPD is able to replace one white car with one black and white car annually, all six cars will be black and white by 2016.
Business administration freshman Charlie Machado said the black and white model is also more recognizable as a UPD vehicle.
“It just looks more like a regular police car,” he said. “Where I am from, that’s what they all look like.”
Simon said he agrees with Machado: that there is an aspect of tradition associated with the black and white car.
“You have the bumper on the front, and that’s typical of a police car,” he said. “I definitely think the white and black is more recognizable as a police car.”
Part of the reason Watton chose the black and white design was recognizability, he said. When a police car is making a traffic stop, he needs it to be very clear that the vehicle is part of UPD.
“It has to be identified as a police car,” Watton said. “So there’s no question for somebody being stopped or an enforcement action being taken.”
Watton said there is no significant difference in price between the two kinds of cars, as they are all based off of a state bid police car set by CHP. These vehicles are primarily sold in downtown Sacramento and Fulsom, Calif.
“CHP does a lot of testing every year to set the standard for police cars for what they want, and then very often, all of the other police agencies just piggy back off of that bid,” Watton said. “They specify black and white, so they come from the factory that way. If there is a price difference, it’s a nominal one.”
Watton’s office made the decision to use the black and white car as a replacement for an old all-white vehicle. UPD received its black and white car in July, and it was ready to be used in early September.
The side door logo is still temporary, Watton said. Though it currently plainly displays “University Police” in black lettering, Watton is in the process of meeting with Avila Sign and Design, a graphic design company based in Grover Beach, Calif., to create a new sticker set for the vehicles.
“What we’re hoping is that the colors will match better,” Watton said. “The school colors, the green and gold, will still look sharp and clean.”
Avila Design did not create the graphics on the old vehicles. Watton said he hopes the cost of design for the cars’ graphics will go down by using a local company instead of the East Coast company that created the old design.
“What I want to see is something that looks very professional,” he said. “Something that has green and gold.”