Cruisers get technology, appearance updates

Next time you see a Newport Beach police car on the road, you might have to take a second glance ? they’re looking a little different these days.

In the next several weeks, the Police Department will be phasing in a new logo ? replacing the old, understated one with bold, aqua blue lettering emblazoned on the side of the cars.

“It’s a visibility thing,” said Police Chief Bob McDonell. “The additional visibility equals more deterrence.”

The old logo had been there since before Chief McDonell arrived in Newport, he said.

“It was time to make an improvement,” McDonell said.

The obvious logo change isn’t the only thing new about the patrol cars. There are also some less noticeable, technical improvements, which are designed to make the cars safer and to make resources more accessible to officers.

The computer system inside the cars has been upgraded. The old laptops with a fixed keyboard were out of date, McDonell said. The laptops have been replaced with touch-screen, flat-panel monitors that have a movable keyboard. With the new system, officers can pull up old police reports and law enforcement data, Hartford said.

The center console has also been lowered to give officers more working space inside the car, Hartford said.

The light bar ? the bright police flashers ? is now a mostly white light. The light is highly visible, day and night, said Newport Beach Sgt. Bill Hartford. The new light bar is also more energy-efficient than the previous setup. With all the other electronic equipment in patrol cars, this light bar won’t run down the battery, Hartford said.

The cars’ trunk space has even been modified. A modular space saving system was installed to store items such as flares and first aid kits, Hartford said.

Making changes to the patrol cars wasn’t a hasty process, rather one that involved lots of testing. A committee of supervisors and officers reviewed the concept and gathered officers’ ideas before a decision was made.

There is one thing that’s staying the same: The patrol cars will keep their white body color.

Though many police agencies opt for the traditional black-and-whites, McDonell said the white cars set Newport Beach police apart from the rest.

Newport Beach police provide a unique level of service, and the white cars reflect that, McDonell said.dpt.26-patrolcar-2-CPhotoInfoE71PB0CI20060326iwp4gwknMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Newport Beach Officer Corey Wolick uses the touch-screen computer system inside one of the department’s new police cruisers. dpt.26-patrolcar-3-BPhotoInfoE71PB0DE20060326iwp4xzknMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Newport Beach police cruisers have new logos on the doors and new lights on the roofs.