CMU police begin adding new decals to vehicle fleet
The Central Michigan University Police Department is in the process of giving its patrol cars a new look.
Three department vehicles have already added a new side decal and the other five are expected to be transformed over the next few weeks, according to CMU Police Captain Fred Harris.
“It has been a number of years since we added new graphics to the cars,” Harris said. “We just thought it was time to give our cars a fresh, new look.”
Sgt. David Coffman proposed the idea of updating the car graphics and a group of officers came together to choose the decal that would be used by the department. The new look includes "POLICE" in large, bold font with a horizontal red strip above reading "Central Michigan University."
Each decal will cost the department an estimated $200 to have the old graphics removed and the new graphic added, for a total of $1,600.
“We’ve had the cars completed by the decal shop here on campus and they’re doing a fine job adding a bit different look,” Harris said. “They’re taking them from us, one at a time, and they should all be completed within a couple weeks.”
In addition to adding the new decal, the police department replaces a car from its fleet each year.
The department added a 2013 Ford Interceptor to its fleet of patrol cars this year, rotating an older car out in its place.
“We try to replace one car each year and we’ll rotate them out when they start getting higher mileage on them, and we make them into something else, like parking enforcement vehicles,” Harris said.
The Interceptor, which has a slightly different look from the normal Crown Victoria, will be the next car to see the decal update over the next few weeks.
