Black and white (slang)
Encyclopedia
Black and white is an American slang term for a police car
that is painted in large panels of black and white or generally any "marked" police car. Historically, this scheme was much favored by North American police forces because it allowed the unambiguous recognition of patrol units from a significant distance. However, as the color scheme is not standardized, each police agency in the U.S. and Canada can choose their own color scheme. The most common variant of the black and white color scheme is white roof and four white doors, the second most common is white roof and only the two front doors. In Sweden, the black and white police cars had black roofs to make them visible in high snow.
Like most police agencies throughout southern California
, the Los Angeles Police Department
vehicles are ordered painted in black clearcoat with the roof, doors, and pillars painted white from the factory. Two vehicles are approved for use within the Los Angeles Police Department, they are the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and the Dodge Charger. Only the sedan is permitted to engage in a vehicle pursuit, pursuant to department policy. Options available from Ford ordered by the department include the handle-bar spotlights
, 16-inch heavy duty steel wheels with chrome center caps, and ballistic panels within the two front doors. Installed equipment includes the lightbar, front-grill siren and control box from Federal Signal Corporation
, the digital two-way radio by Motorola
, a notebook PC to function as the Mobile data terminal
, and a partition to separate the prisoner rear seating from the driver and front passenger seats. The so-called "A-cars" and "X-cars" (eXtra patrol) also have a shotgun mounted between the front seats in front of the partition.
Most police vehicles bear at least two rear bumper stickers: one reading "There's NO Excuse - For Domestic Violence" and another for "DARE" Drug Abuse Resistance Education
. On the rear side panel is a black and white sticker that reads "EMERGENCY DIAL 9-1-1 Fire Police Medical." The front doors bears the seal of the City of Los Angeles
, the department slogan "to protect and to serve" as well as the citywide five-digit "shop number" and city department name (POLICE). The last three numbers of the shop number (used to identify all vehicles operated by the city) are reprinted on the roof to help air units visually identify cars. On the trunk is a number that identifies which division the unit belongs to (e.g. a 25 would be "South Traffic Division" or a 3 would be "Southwest Area").
These cars appeared on the NBC
television
drama Adam-12
:
vehicles were painted with the same pattern that LAPD. These days the vehicles are painted with a pattern that includes green and white, this make the cars looks like the police uniform that is all green.
with the upper parts of the vehicle painted white. However, motorcycles are usually all white and riot control and rescue vehicles are painted a steel blue.
vehicles were painted black and white but in the reverse of the Los Angeles Police pattern. Swedish police vehicles had black roofs, doors, trunk and bonnet or black roofs, bonnet and boot. This was a necessity due to the heavy snows Sweden acquires. During the 1980s the cars became white with the word "Polis" written on the side in a semi-futuristic font. Later they became just blue and white and in 2005 they changed to a light blue and fluorescent yellow livery (Battenburg markings
). Most Swedish police cars are either Volvos or Saabs, with the same livery all over Sweden. During the black and white-period however, Plymouth
, Ford, Volkswagen
, and Porsche
among others was also used by the Swedish police force.
police vans are colloquially known as the "Musta Maija" ("Black Mary"). Since Finland is a bilingual country, police patrol vehicles feature the text "Police" in both Finnish
("Poliisi", on the vehicle's right side) and Swedish
("Polis", on the driver's side).
has recently (2007) reverted back to a black and white scheme for their fleet. The force used this scheme on their police cars from 1941 to 1989, earning them the nickname "Holsteins" during that period, especially in the 1950s.
South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service in British Columbia
also uses a black and white scheme.
West Vancouver Police Department
in British Columbia also has started to use the black and white livery.
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
that is painted in large panels of black and white or generally any "marked" police car. Historically, this scheme was much favored by North American police forces because it allowed the unambiguous recognition of patrol units from a significant distance. However, as the color scheme is not standardized, each police agency in the U.S. and Canada can choose their own color scheme. The most common variant of the black and white color scheme is white roof and four white doors, the second most common is white roof and only the two front doors. In Sweden, the black and white police cars had black roofs to make them visible in high snow.
Los Angeles Police Department
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
vehicles are ordered painted in black clearcoat with the roof, doors, and pillars painted white from the factory. Two vehicles are approved for use within the Los Angeles Police Department, they are the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and the Dodge Charger. Only the sedan is permitted to engage in a vehicle pursuit, pursuant to department policy. Options available from Ford ordered by the department include the handle-bar spotlights
Searchlight
A searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
, 16-inch heavy duty steel wheels with chrome center caps, and ballistic panels within the two front doors. Installed equipment includes the lightbar, front-grill siren and control box from Federal Signal Corporation
Federal Signal Corporation
Federal Signal Corporation is a global corporation with about 2,800 employees and annual revenue of about US$727 million. Oak Brook, Illinois-based Federal Signal designs, develops and deploys solutions intended to protect people, property and the environment under brands such as Federal Signal,...
, the digital two-way radio by Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, a notebook PC to function as the Mobile data terminal
Mobile data terminal
A mobile data terminal is a computerized device used in public transit vehicles, taxicabs, courier vehicles, service trucks, commercial trucking fleets, military logistics, fishing fleets, warehouse inventory control, and emergency vehicles to communicate with a central dispatch office...
, and a partition to separate the prisoner rear seating from the driver and front passenger seats. The so-called "A-cars" and "X-cars" (eXtra patrol) also have a shotgun mounted between the front seats in front of the partition.
Most police vehicles bear at least two rear bumper stickers: one reading "There's NO Excuse - For Domestic Violence" and another for "DARE" Drug Abuse Resistance Education
Drug Abuse Resistance Education
Drug Abuse Resistance Education, better known as DARE, is an international education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. D.A.R.E., which has expanded globally since its founding in 1983, is a demand-side drug control strategy of the U.S....
. On the rear side panel is a black and white sticker that reads "EMERGENCY DIAL 9-1-1 Fire Police Medical." The front doors bears the seal of the City of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles was a streamlined passenger train that ran between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California, via Omaha, Nebraska, and Ogden, Utah. Between Omaha and Los Angeles it ran on the Union Pacific Railroad; east of Omaha it ran on the Chicago and North Western Railway until...
, the department slogan "to protect and to serve" as well as the citywide five-digit "shop number" and city department name (POLICE). The last three numbers of the shop number (used to identify all vehicles operated by the city) are reprinted on the roof to help air units visually identify cars. On the trunk is a number that identifies which division the unit belongs to (e.g. a 25 would be "South Traffic Division" or a 3 would be "Southwest Area").
These cars appeared on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
drama Adam-12
Adam-12
Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...
:
- 1967,1968 and 1969 Plymouth BelvederePlymouth BelvedereThe Plymouth Belvedere was an American automobile produced by Plymouth from 1951-1970.-1951–1953:Introduced on March 31, the 1951 Plymouth Belvedere arrived as a two-door pillarless hardtop. It was Plymouth's first vehicle of such design and was built in response to Chevrolet's Bel Air...
- 1971 Plymouth SatellitePlymouth SatelliteThe Plymouth Satellite is an automobile introduced in 1965 as the top model in Plymouth's mid-size Belvedere line. The Satellite remained the top of the line model until the 1967 model year, where it became the mid-price model with the GTX taking its place as the top model. The Fury name was moved...
- 1972 AMC MatadorAMC MatadorThe AMC Matador is a mid-size car that was built and sold by American Motors Corporation from 1971 to 1978. The Matador came in two generations: 1971 to 1973 and a major redesign from 1974 to 1978...
Chilean police (Carabineros)
Until 1998, all Carabineros de ChileCarabineros de Chile
thumb|250px|Carabineros de Chile, patrolling a street in [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]]The Carabiniers of Chile, are the uniformed Chilean national police force and gendarmerie, created on April 27, 1927. Their mission is to maintain order and create public respect for the laws of the country...
vehicles were painted with the same pattern that LAPD. These days the vehicles are painted with a pattern that includes green and white, this make the cars looks like the police uniform that is all green.
Japanese police
All Japanese police force vehicles are painted and marked in the same ways. Japanese police vehicles are painted black and whiteBlack and white (slang)
Black and white is an American slang term for a police car that is painted in large panels of black and white or generally any "marked" police car. Historically, this scheme was much favored by North American police forces because it allowed the unambiguous recognition of patrol units from a...
with the upper parts of the vehicle painted white. However, motorcycles are usually all white and riot control and rescue vehicles are painted a steel blue.
Sweden
Originally Swedish Police ServiceSwedish Police Service
The Swedish Police Service is a collection of Government agencies concerned with police matters in Sweden. The Swedish Police Service consists of 28,500 employees of which 39 per cent are women. The staff consists of 20,000 police officers of which 25 per cent are women and 8,500 civilian staff of...
vehicles were painted black and white but in the reverse of the Los Angeles Police pattern. Swedish police vehicles had black roofs, doors, trunk and bonnet or black roofs, bonnet and boot. This was a necessity due to the heavy snows Sweden acquires. During the 1980s the cars became white with the word "Polis" written on the side in a semi-futuristic font. Later they became just blue and white and in 2005 they changed to a light blue and fluorescent yellow livery (Battenburg markings
Battenburg markings
Battenburg refers to a pattern of high-visibility markings used to maximise conspicuity, primarily used on vehicles of the emergency services, but also in other applications such as uniforms...
). Most Swedish police cars are either Volvos or Saabs, with the same livery all over Sweden. During the black and white-period however, Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
, Ford, Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
, and Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
among others was also used by the Swedish police force.
France
French police vehicles were painted like the Swedish ones before resorting to all white with red/white/blue striping.Finland
FinnishFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
police vans are colloquially known as the "Musta Maija" ("Black Mary"). Since Finland is a bilingual country, police patrol vehicles feature the text "Police" in both Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
("Poliisi", on the vehicle's right side) and Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
("Polis", on the driver's side).
Canada
Ontario Provincial PoliceOntario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
has recently (2007) reverted back to a black and white scheme for their fleet. The force used this scheme on their police cars from 1941 to 1989, earning them the nickname "Holsteins" during that period, especially in the 1950s.
South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
also uses a black and white scheme.
West Vancouver Police Department
West Vancouver Police Department
West Vancouver Police Department is a police force for the district municipality of West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-Organization:...
in British Columbia also has started to use the black and white livery.
Gallery
See also
- Panda carPanda carThe phrase panda car refers to a small or medium-sized police car operated by British police forces. They are used for ordinary patrol work, with larger and more powerful vehicles being used for emergency response, Road Policing Unit duties and as Armed Response Vehicles-History of the term:Panda...
- SWAT vehicle
- Jam sandwich (slang)
- LiveryLiveryA livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...