Ottawa police cruisers getting a makeover

Ottawa Police Service (OPS) cruisers are getting a new look.

The familiar white police cars seen patrolling the capital are going to slowly be replaced with a new two-toned cruiser over the next four to five years.

Police say this is in response to Ottawa residents wanting more police visibility in their communities.

“The new design will increase public recognition and visibility and allow for quick identification of OPS cruisers, helping with public [and] officer safety,” wrote the OPS in a media release.

The OPS says that recent academic research shows that two-toned cruisers are more recognizable as police vehicles. The new design’s dark blue colour was selected after research by the project team and to align with the OPS’ branding. 

Police describe the new vehicles as being dark blue with white vinyl panels on the front and rear doors.

“The Heraldic crest and ‘police’ logo appear across the front and rear doors on both sides, with the ‘Ottawa’ logo on both sides near the back of the vehicle,” wrote the OPS. “There are reflective decals on all sides to ensure public and officer safety.”

This new design follows what other police services across the country have, like York Regional Police, Halton Regional Police and Toronto Police.

OPS says this design will also help differentiate Ottawa Police cruisers from other local policing and municipal partner vehicles within the city.