"NYPD Police"

[grushkjs 2]

Does anyone know why every NYPD police car in NYC has had "Police" removed from the hood and trunk and replaced with "NYPD Police"? It looks funny because it's clearly squeezed in, especially on the trunk. Most cars seemed to get re-lettered last year. Were people confused as to what police department they were? Seems like a huge waste of money to re-letter every vehicle in the fleet.

[v85 212]

I heard it was to try to get people to think that there are more police cars on the road then there are really are.

Previously, actual police cars would say POLICE on the front and back. Civilian cars would say either NYPD TRAFFIC, NYPD SCHOOL SAFETY or NYPD AUXILIARY.

Now that the police cars say NYPD POLICE, the public will be inclined to think any car that says NYPD XXXXX on it is an actual police car.

At least that is the rumor I've heard

[everybodygoes 331]

By Larry Celona
The New York Post

NYPD cars are getting a new look — in the front and back.

The department began replacing the decals on the front and rear hoods of all of its marked cars last month so that they read "NYPD Police" instead of just "Police."

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly ordered the change after he saw a car marked "Police" driving erratically in December and thought it was from his department, sources told The Post.

[bronxfireradio 45]

NYC POLICE in huge lettering hit the sides of the RMPs in late 1991, with the 91 whale body Caprice. Before that, on the 198X-1990 Caprices (and Plymouth Gran Furys), it was just POLICE in a much smaller font, with a white stripe from the front to the back, an NYPD emblem on the front door, the command in the stripe on the rear door, and the RMP number at the back. NYPD POLICE in huge lettering was a variant later, then to just NYPD. The command and RMP number were sized down and squished onto the sides of the trunk.

[Dinosaur 844]

Hard to fit too much on a Nissan Altima!

[10512 214]

Everybodygoes is correct.

It occurred while out of city limits, I think it was on Long Island for a LOD funeral, PC Kelly saw a radio car and for some reason wanted to know who it was. He only saw it from the rear, but could not ID what department it was from because most cars are white with the same blue letters on the trunk only saying "POLICE", he only saw it for a second. It was then decided to add "NYPD" to enhance ID of his cars.

Edited December 28, 2013 by 10512

[americanpolice 24]

several agencies in the city use "POLICE" in the same colors and font so NYPD was added to identify them as referenced in the story above.

[87D124 37]

http://gothamist.com/2012/04/10/ray_kelly_wants_patrol_cars_to_say.php

[Bottom of Da Hill 76]

Everybodygoes is correct.

It occurred while out of city limits, I think it was on Long Island for a LOD funeral, PC Kelly saw a radio car and for some reason wanted to know who it was. He only saw it from the rear, but could not ID what department it was from because most cars are white with the same blue letters on the trunk only saying "POLICE", he only saw it for a second. It was then decided to add "NYPD" to enhance ID of his cars.

but doesnt the plates on it front and back tell you what prcnt its from?

[v85 212]

The plates I'm not sure about, but the command is 99.9% of cases on the rear quarter panels.

The only thing about the license plates I do know is that NYPD highway cars have numbers in a specific series in the 2000's. (2500-2899 maybe?)

[bronxfireradio 45]

The new thing on the RMP numbers is the last 2 digits of the year the car went in service, on the side and I think possibly also on the plate. Please correct me if I'm wrong about year in service on the plate. Command isn't on the plate, only on the side. I'll shoot and post examples tomorrow while down in the Bronx.

Also, I remember the first 91 Caprice delivered to the 50th Precinct - RMP 1117. When I was a kid in the 80's and 90's, I used to keep a log book of RMP numbers.

[v85 212]

Yes, the year of service is also on the plate, at least in the cars I have seen

[everybodygoes 331]

No pct id on plates just year and rmp number.

[AFS1970 504]

It's funny, nationwide there is a move to make all police cars look alike, and then here is a commissioner who realizes that there is a reason for them looking somewhat different.

We had a similar thing once, our park police used to drive dark blue cars, at the time the city police were in light blue. The parks department got a manager who could not tell dark blue from light blue so insisted on the new pars cars being white. They looked horrible so they got a green stripe added. A few years later the city police were in black and whites and the parks police (no under a different manager) ordered black and white to match. That caused an uproar, that lead to labor board issues and now they are in dark green and white with the same lettering style but a different color. They just say police not parks police so most of the public has no idea why there are two color schemes. Oddly enough they have the city police patch on them not the special police patch worn by the parks officers.

[EXDC203 38]

Call me crazy....." NYPD POLICE" New York City Police Dept Police......Isnt that Internal affairs????

[velcroMedic1987 330]

It's funny, nationwide there is a move to make all police cars look alike, and then here is a commissioner who realizes that there is a reason for them looking somewhat different.

What nationwide move is that?

The commissioner wanted it to be clear that the moron driving a police car wasn't NYPD. Simply CYA and damage control. BFD!

[velcroMedic1987 330]

I heard it was to try to get people to think that there are more police cars on the road then there are really are.

Previously, actual police cars would say POLICE on the front and back. Civilian cars would say either NYPD TRAFFIC, NYPD SCHOOL SAFETY or NYPD AUXILIARY.

Now that the police cars say NYPD POLICE, the public will be inclined to think any car that says NYPD XXXXX on it is an actual police car.

At least that is the rumor I've heard

Call me crazy....." NYPD POLICE" New York City Police Dept Police......Isnt that Internal affairs????

See above - different "divisions" within the NYPD - police, traffic, school safety, etc.

[v85 212]

What nationwide move is that?

The commissioner wanted it to be clear that the moron driving a police car wasn't NYPD. Simply CYA and damage control. BFD!

Probably the fact that a lot of agencies are going for the traditional black and white cars.

[AFS1970 504]

I have heard that there is strong national pressure to go to the black and white, I have even heard of grants to do so, although I have never seen these grants myself. Some larger cities or places with a strong identity may not go to this, but more and more places seem to be going this way. My city in CT even was ordering California spec lightbars even when we had blue cars.