Your tax dollars at work (Fantino strikes again)

[spmarshall]

Fantino sure has a fetish for black. As soon as he became Toronto police chief, the uniforms went from blue to black (Peel remains the only local force to retain blue uniforms).

Now as OPP chief, he's changing the cars back to black and white. I guess he thinks he's Darrell F. Gates.

This is the cost for protecting Greg Sorbara's seat - retro spending by Fantino the dinosaur.

OPP back in black and white

January 18, 2007
Canadian Press

ST. THOMAS, Ont. – Ontario Provincial Police are turning back the clock and returning to traditional black and white colours for their police cruisers.

All-white cruisers with blue and gold striping were introduced in 1989, and, by 1993, the black and white vehicles were completely phased out.

The revived design was unveiled on a Crown Victoria at a Ford of Canada plant in St. Thomas before Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter and OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino.

Kwinter said the traditional colour scheme will give the cruisers enhanced visibility on Ontario's highways and provide the force with a distinctive presence.

The first black and white cruisers will be patrolling high traffic areas of the 400 series highways by the beginning of March. Other vehicles will be rolled out as vehicles are replaced over the next two and a half years.

The force maintains a fleet of about 1,200 patrol cars.

 

[unimaginative2]

It makes the force look more American, the obvious goal.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Awesome, I love it! And the uniforms aren't black, they're a midnight blue or something, and are a North American standard for many police forces, certainly in Ontario anyway. Besides, black and white cruisers were the norm of the OPP going back to the 40s, this is just a reversion to that. Glad to see. Incidentally, if Fantino does for the OPP and brings back forage caps like he did for Toronto officers (rightly so, those Boothby-era ballcaps were a disgrace), then the OPP will be *less* American in appearance, as those Stetson-type hats they wear now are very state trooper-ish.

 

[prometheus the supremo]

now if only toronto could bring back the yellow cars :lol

 

[bizorky]

If I remember correctly, the QPP used to have green cars with yellow front doors. The running joke was that it helped the constables know which door to get in (they had, shall we say, a "reputation" back then).