Itasca police nab an award for squad car design

Justice may be blind.

Still, one trade publication likes what it sees when it comes to Itasca's police cars.

The village finished second in Law and Order magazine's 2007 Police Vehicle Design Contest for departments with less than 50 officers. Hummelstown Borough Police Department in Hummelstown, Penn., took first place honors.

"Overall, we find our new cars to be strikingly attractive to the eye," Chief Scott Heher said of Itasca's fleet of new dark blue 2007 Dodge Chargers. "And the award is great because we can have some fun with it while displaying our creativity as an organization."

Their creativity also will benefit servicemen and women overseas. The department has donated its $75 prize to Operation Support Our Troops.

Itasca started replacing Ford Crown Victoria models in its seven-squad fleet with three new Chargers earlier this year after being impressed with a display at a national police conference.

Once the decision was made to make the switch, Heher said, it was time to update the design on the cars. The most notable change, he said, was getting away from the traditional black and white in favor of a more modern dark blue.

Heher said the decal design was put together after a collaborative effort by police and public works employees. The result was the blue Charger with large, reflective "police" and "Itasca" decals intertwined with gold and white reflective graphics.

Heher said the officers are happy with the redesign.

"Those cars are the officers' rolling office where they spend at least eight hours a day," he said. "If the car looks good, they feel good and perform better."

Contest judges agreed while focusing on such criteria as driver safety and the ability to identify the car as a law enforcement vehicle. According to judging rules, they also looked for departmental symbols, a badge, shield or community seal, emergency phone numbers and Web site information.

Hummelstown Police Chief Charles Dowell said he considers it a feather in his department's cap to be recognized for meeting the criteria.

"We actually consider it quite seriously," Dowell said of his seven-officer department. "We're kinda small-town USA out here. So to be recognized by our peers on a national scale is great for us."

Hummelstown's winning police car is a 2006 Charger that the department recently added to its four-car fleet. Previously, the community won third place for its DARE vehicle, a 2000 Ford Explorer, during the 2001 contest.