There aren’t many graphic images that create a more immediate viewer response than those on a law enforcement vehicle. Just a quick glimpse of a sheriff’s star or the black and white of a police squad car sitting by the road can make your heart leap into your throat and your foot jump from the gas pedal to the brake.
De Pere, Wisconsin is a city of just over 20,000 people located just south of Green Bay. Like all law enforcement agencies, the De Pere Police Department puts their vehicles through a lot. In the summer of 2009 the department was adding six new Chevrolet Impala police cruisers to their fleet. These cars undergo a major retrofit to create what is the modern law enforcement cruiser. Hard plastic bench back seats and front/back seat security dividers are installed for suspect transport. Racks for tactical weapon security and accessibility are added. On-board computers, radios, video, and GPS are configured for critical communication. Of course, no law enforcement vehicle is complete without the siren and flashing rooftop lights. And, finally, the exterior graphics are installed that truly give the vehicles their identity.
Ignite Digital became involved with the De Pere Police in an effort to create the best exterior graphics possible. In adding the six new cars to the fleet, the department sought input from the officers themselves about what the new graphics should look like. A number of good designs were discussed, but one particular look that many of the officers themselves wanted was the traditional “black-and-white”. The black and white color scheme for police cars dates back to the early days of automobiles, when most cars were black. (Henry Ford, according to legend, once said, “A customer can have a car painted any color that he wants – so long as it is black.”) Many police departments began to notice the deterrent effect on crime that the presence of a police car had, so they devised ways to make the cars stand out. The most common way was to paint portions of the car white. This eventually led to the most common black-and-white design we see today – a black car with a white roof and doors. Even with the unlimited palette of vehicle colors available today, many law enforcement agencies still like the traditional black-and-white car.
While the De Pere Police Department wanted the black-and-white look for their new cars, there were complications. Black-and-white police cars cost more, since the white is a separate paint job. In addition, some police departments have experienced a lower resale value on black-and-white cars when they are selling old cars to make way for new. Since cost is a major part of any government agency’s world in these times, the initial decision was to forgo the black-and-white look and stay with an all-black car with decals.
Ignite Digital proposed a better solution. We could do a partial wrap on the new black cars, using white vinyl to create the white roof and doors. We could print what would have been separate decals right on the white vinyl and create a clean look that transformed the cars completely. As an added benefit, when it comes time to trade the cars in, the vinyl can be removed from the cars, leaving an all-black car that should have more resale appeal. That sealed the deal for the De Pere Police Department. As the new cars arrived, they were turned over to Ignite Digital. We helped design the final graphic look, printed the graphics using high quality vinyl and laminate, and installed the finished vinyl graphics on the cars.
The project couldn’t have turned out any better. The police department now has six bold black-and-white cars as part of their fleet patrolling the streets of De Pere. Ignite Digital is proud of our role in creating the dynamic look of these cars.
“Ignite Digital worked very closely with us to help us achieve a professional and affordable law enforcement fleet, within budget and on time. Our officers are proud to drive the new black-and-white cars.”
Captain Brian Messerschmidt, De Pere Police Department