MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY, Ga. -- Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany’s Marine Corps Police Department vehicles are sporting a new look.
The new design is part of the Marine Corps Civilian Law Enforcement Program, a Headquarters Marine Corps initiative to standardize the design of police vehicles throughout the Corps.
“The Headquarters Marine Corps program enables Marine Corps law enforcement to support each other as necessary without the need for Civilian-Marine police officers or Marine military police to get reacquainted with the basic Marine Corps police vehicle and equipment,” Lt. Perry Mixon, assistant operations officer, Marine Corps Police Department, MCLB Albany, said. “Essentially, with this program in place, a Marine Corps police vehicle and officer could be detailed to another Marine Corps base and look uniform.”
One of the notable changes is the paint scheme, which consists of two Iwo Jima drawings located near the rear window of a police car, police officer badge/shield, red and blue lettering and yellow reflective striping.
The new graphics will make it easier for the base community to identify the police vehicles if an emergency occurs, Mixon added.
“One of the first things people notice about a police car is the paint scheme,” Bill McNulty, director, Public Safety Division, MCLB Albany, said. “Before 2010, there were no unified criteria or standard for painting police cars, so each Marine Corps base created their own designs for patrol vehicles.
“The point of the paint job is to make the car easy to see, look distinctive and consistent throughout the Marine Corps,” McNulty said.
The new look is not the only change.
“The design is just a small portion of the package,” Mixon said. “Each vehicle will also receive new upgrades to its interior.”
The police car upgrades include:
* Exterior light bar
* Siren, 100-watt speaker and light control box
* Clear front light-emitting diode flashers
* Red and blue rear LED flashers
* Red and blue front grill LED lights
* Red and blue rear interior floor LED lights
* Console system
* Electronic dual gun rack
* Full partition cage with sliding window
* Steel windows bar
* Window tinting package
* Reflective graphic package
* Equipment installation package
“The new vehicles will be used for base-wide police patrolling, perimeter security checks, traffic enforcement operations and community policing events,” Mixon said. “The vehicle will consistently serve as a crime deterrent tool of the Marine Corps Police Department.”
Several vehicles sport the new design, but MCPD is waiting on funding to complete the upgrades, according to Mixon. He said the upgrades should be completed by 2016 in order to be in compliance with Headquarters Marine Corps’ initiative.