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Newtown's Patrol Cars Get A New Look

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

To be more identifiable, town police are using bold new graphics on their

patrol cars.

Patrol officers Robert Haas and Christopher Vadas have jointly worked on the

redesign project since 1995, submitting their design to the police department

at large for an endorsement before the first patrol car received the new

design.

The design employs bold italicized yellow lettering on the dark blue cars to

attract attention.

Officers Vadas and Haas studied the designs of patrol cars in area towns in

developing the graphics, said Police Chief James E. Lysaght, Jr.

Currently, three Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars and the department's new

four-wheel-drive Ford Expedition have the new design. Police hope that five

more patrol cars will receive the new striping scheme by the end of this year.

Patrol division sergeants use the Expedition when they travel on police calls.

The Expedition is used to investigate crimes and major traffic accidents, said

Chief Lysaght.

It also will be used for prisoner transport in inclement weather, he added.

The high-traction, four-door Expedition will give police the ability to travel

off roads and be assured of traveling on snow-covered roads, according to the

chief. The rear-wheel-drive Crown Victorias have traction problems in snow.

The Expedition, which has a high center of gravity, is intended for use as a

utility vehicle, not as a police pursuit vehicle.

"It's ... very much the vehicle we need," Officer Haas said.

Decals that have been applied to the four vehicles are highly reflective,

making for much improved nighttime visibility. "It glows in the dark," Officer

Haas noted.

Officers Vadas and Haas incorporated graphic elements from the police

department's shoulder patch as part of the vehicles' new design. That patch

includes stylized versions of The Meeting House and the Main Street flagpole.

Police have received many positive comments about the police cars' high

visibility, as well as the presence of the Expedition on the road, Chief

Lysaght said.

Officers Vadas and Haas reviewed many striping designs before narrowing the

field down to six and eventually settling on the design now being placed on

the patrol cars.

Officers Haas and Vadas plan to enter the striping design in a patrol car

graphics competition for police departments with less than 50 officers.