Calgary police begin mandatory alcohol screening at Checkstops

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by btimbit

But they're expensive

And they look like they belong to Fire/EMS

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

And they look like they belong to Fire/EMS

Well if only there was a well known and immediately recognizable colour scheme for police cars going all the way back to the 30's

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Well if only there was a well known and immediately recognizable colour scheme for police cars going all the way back to the 30's

Yeah, if only...

[getbak]

Originally Posted by btimbit

How's it an advance toward something if its just going back to how they used to be? The black and white is returning to their roots, not going to some new uncharted territory.

I've lived in Calgary nearly 40 years and until the current design have only ever known the CPS to drive white and blue cars.


This photo is 46 years old, from the Queen's visit in July, 1973...




This idea that switching to black & white is "returning to their roots" is just marketing BS. For the vast majority of Calgarians, the police cars they grew up knowing were white and blue.

[btimbit]

They went to blue and white in the late 60's I believe. This is a '46

Spoiler!

I can't find one now but there's some awesome pictures of Calgary black and white early 60's Ford's too

And again, it's not just Calgary, it's country and continent-wide

Here's one of Montreals for reference. Sad there aren't many old calgary police pics other than that suburban


Edmonton

Spoiler!

Dodge from Winnipeg

Spoiler!

Ottawa

Spoiler!

[Scroopy Noopers]

I’m sorry I can’t help but chuckle that you shared a black and white photo to prove your point, but you proved your point.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

I’m sorry I can’t help but chuckle that you shared a black and white photo to prove your point, but you proved your point.

Haha, that's actually exactly why I added a few more pics. Thought to myself 'that could easily be blue, who would know'

[Jimmy Stang]

My perception is that that the black and white isn't necessarily our own roots, but rather inspired by the roots of our neighbour. The OPP is an obvious exception. But Calgary certainly isn't going back to some famous colour scheme.

And if we're talking "visibility" and not also talking about Battenburg markings, then we're just talking nonsense. Go big or go home.

That being said, a paint scheme alone does not make a police force more violent. I don't really like the black scheme, but I don't feel intimidated by it.

[Ducay]

Not sure why we havn't yet followed Europe in going to Battenburg patterns for police. EMS/Fire have started here, but imagine given a lot of "police work" here is traffic related, they likely don't want to stand out.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by btimbit

They went to blue and white in the late 60's I believe. This is a '46

Spoiler!

I can't find one now but there's some awesome pictures of Calgary black and white early 60's Ford's too

And again, it's not just Calgary, it's country and continent-wide

Here's one of Montreals for reference. Sad there aren't many old calgary police pics other than that suburban


Edmonton

Spoiler!

Dodge from Winnipeg

Spoiler!

Ottawa

Spoiler!

Something, something 'Ford' something, something "can have it in any colour as long as its black...."



Thats not 'Tradition' thats a lack of options.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I was sure there was a thread about it, or at least a decent discussion in another thread.

Either way, I’ll repeat what I said there: I think it’s a good thing, It’ll get challenged a whole bunch but as the article says it seems to do a good job of changing the culture in other countries where it’s been implemented.

I’ll happily be inconvenienced for a minute if it means even one extra drunk driver gets nabbed. #### those losers.

The checkstop portion of this is not really the issue at all and comes off as quite harmless. This is the part I am actually ok with given they are already stopping everyone anyway. The real issue is the fact that a police officer can pull you over at any time of day or night and administer a breathalyzer, without any cause whatsoever, is deeply concerning.

I've lived in countries where this is done and it is deeply unfair and unnerving to be pulled over and breathalyzed for doing nothing wrong at all. Maybe even for something as insignificant as signaling a little late for a turn. It in many cases ends up amounting to a witch hunt and is far too much power for police to wield and opens the door for far worse measures to be brought into action in the future.

In reality the same drunk drivers who are repeat offenders, drive completely blitzed are not going to be deterred at all.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Locke

Something, something 'Ford' something, something "can have it in any colour as long as its black...."



Thats not 'Tradition' thats a lack of options.

Haha yeah that was definitely where it started

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by jayswin

I just love how people closer to the info like Aleks throw it in our faces that their privy to more info while simultaneously scolding us peons for wanting to know more as if that's supposed to calm our questions and concerns about public spending on their profession.

It's that kind of arrogance that helps to turn societies against the people put in place to protect them, just a huge friggen fyi, Aleks (not that you'll take anything from that based on past posting).

Its not arrogance. Just simply stating I have information to the contrary, which you all choose not to trust or believe. The hand wringing in this thread is astounding

Originally Posted by Rando

Can you expand on this? Which communities are those?



@Aleks

Then with all respect, who cares?

Clearly not you, don't worry we can see that. Just offering up my experience, just like countless others in the thread, but because mine is on the other side of the fence to yours you choose to dismiss it

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Aleks

Its not arrogance. Just simply stating I have information to the contrary, which you all choose not to trust or believe.

Well, no kidding. Did you honestly think that as an anonymous poster on the internet you were going to say "just trust me guys, this was a good expenditure, I can't tell you why but you'll just have to believe me on this one", and the skeptical people would go "welp, good enough for me, case closed"? That's not even a rhetorical question, I'm genuinely curious what you thought was going to happen.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Aleks

Clearly not you, don't worry we can see that. Just offering up my experience, just like countless others in the thread, but because mine is on the other side of the fence to yours you choose to dismiss it

Other side of a fence you’ve lined with a hedge and added a privacy fence extension to. All while yelling over it “you guys should see this #### over here!”

[Rando]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Other side of a fence you’ve lined with a hedge and added a privacy fence extension to. All while yelling over it “you guys should see this #### over here!”

F'n perfect reply, thank you.

[undercoverbrother]

Wow, that is a lot to take in over the last few pages.


I struggle to understand how people view the new vehicles as intimidating. I can't understand by the colour black is view so negatively (I feel like there is a Tracy Morgan but in there).

While I agree that they aren't a visible, I don't find them intimidating.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by btimbit

This was done in 2012 and nobody complained about it until 2 or 3 years ago when police shootings in the US started being more and more publicized and public perception about police in general really dropped.

This isn't true, there was lots of debate both online and in the media when this change was made. The biggest reason being that the US was just in midst of making a change back to black cars with small white decals with many jurisdictions down there making no bones that they were wanting a more intimidating presence.

Do we have any actual info on how much money is saved with this colour scheme? I don't trust releases like "it saves money, we won't say how much, but trust us" from any organizations these days.


I'll see what I can dig up.

[jayswin]

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...s-too-menacing

Here's the 2018 follow up to the first Herald article. Apparently it saves $5000 per car, which I guess I'll trust but man that seems weird, when you think about it.

They say "You just buy a black car and toss two white decals plus police decals", but it's not like they were painting the old vehicles. They were just plain white cars with a blue decal wrapped around the middle of the vehicle.

So they're saying two white door decals cost $5000 less than that thin wrap around decal? Screw criticizing police, I'm off to put stock in that decal company!!

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by jayswin

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...s-too-menacing

Here's the 2018 follow up to the first Herald article. Apparently it saves $5000 per car, which I guess I'll trust but man that seems weird, when you think about it.

They say "You just buy a black car and toss two white decals plus police decals", but it's not like they were painting the old vehicles. They were just plain white cars with a blue decal wrapped around the middle of the vehicle.

So they're saying two white door decals cost $5000 less than that thin wrap around decal? Screw criticizing police, I'm off to put stock in that decal company!!

If I'm remembering correctly that was the total cost difference per car, most of that was the fact that the Tauras and Explorer are cheaper to make than the old Crown Vic. I want to say the actual decaling is around $500 a car, compared to the $1000-ish it was for the old blue and red striping