The end result is what the department is calling a public affairs vehicle — a 2016 Ford Explorer “wrapped” in images of the city.
“It kinds of tells the story and the positive changes of the city,” Hamilton police Capt. Trent Chenoweth said. “You have different things featured like the statue of Alexander Hamilton, the new concert venue (RiversEdge), the splash pad and just some other improvements and it will be a good recruiting tool for the department.”
The redesigned vehicle joins other efforts by the department — such as open houses at their headquarters and officers patrolling on bicycles and even Segways — to put in face time with area residents and businesses, attempting to boost dialogue and information sharing.
The idea to give a flashy, hometown pride look to the police vehicle came about during the department’s analysis of its vehicles.
“When cruisers begin increasing in age and wear and tear, maintenance and repair costs begin shooting up and reliability begins shooting downward,” Robinson said. “The previous cruiser was near the end of its front line everyday usage.”
He added that the choice for the public affairs vehicle was cost effective because it was already in the fleet of vehicles being used by the department so it just replaced an older cruiser that was being phased out of use.
“The 2016 Ford Explorer was originally assigned elsewhere in the department and was re-purposed to public affairs,” Robinson said.
The images on the vehicle are a wrap designed in separate panels by RAC Graphixs in Seven Mile.
“So if one section of the cruiser is damaged, all (that has to be replaced is) one panel of the design and not re-wrap the entire vehicle,” Robinson said.
The redesigned vehicle was on display during the police department’s annual Safety Town program this past week.
“It looks amazing and shows that our police department has pride in the community we serve,” said Hamilton police officer Kristy Collins, who runs the Safety Town program.
Chenoweth agreed, saying the colorful vehicle will serve as a recruiting tool and gives off a “welcoming feeling” to the community.
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