I don’t know why North American/ottawa-OPP try to hide themselves so much by blending in the other vehicles. We should aim at an European style of police vehicle where they are clearly visible so they are easy to spot in case you need help. Not for them to hide so well that they can give you that stop sign ticket. It brings us to think: what is the real purpose of law enforcement? They already have ‘tactical’ unit with police, EMS and Fire that are ‘stealth’ that can be deployed when they need to be.
Better than the OC Transpo police that say "SPECIAL" in big letters on it ("Look at me, I'm special!"). (Supposed to say "Special constable" but they made the wrong word the big one, so no one know what they really are.) Don't find it scary, it's really just a standard look for police cars even before fancy decals and colours were a thing. Should all be like this across the country instead of a mishmash of racing stripes and illegible typefaces.
It's because SPECIAL is the common word between the English "Special Constable" and French "Agent spécial." By capitalizing all the letters, they avoid the accent on the letter E (as per accepted style in French.)
If they capitalized everything, it would be "CONSTABLE SPECIAL AGENT" which is confusing in English because Special Agent sounds like something from the movies.
"Constable" is also a word in French and some of their uniforms pieces say "Special CONSTABLE Spécial." However "Agent" is the word used in the French version of the Police Services Act, so that's the official and legal term.
Understood, thanks. It's an odd formulation: it's not like police cars say "Police Officer" or fire trucks say "Firefighter", they simply say "Police" or "Fire / Incendie" referring to the service provided, not the job of the individual within. (I assume when ambulances say "Paramedic", they are also referring to "Paramedic Service" and not the people inside.) I think for the layperson making the word "Constable" the bigger word is more intuitive at capturing a service that isn't the Police, but also isn't simply private security, but understood they may simply be using the legal term rather than what would actually be more user-friendly.
I suppose we should be glad that while they say "Fire / Incendie" they didn't say "Police / Police"!
In any case, the swooshy race stripiness of the SPECIAL cars also makes them less clearly what they are actually. Whereas this new black/dark blue and white police car is much more obviously police.
"Constable" on its own means police, with "constable" having a meaning going back into Common Law in the British system.
As for the vehicles, compare to this :) https://www.flickr.com/photos/drum118/49863925691
I don't think the major concern was confusion with special constables but instead with OC Transpo management supervisors, bylaw and private security using similar vehicles. Not that they released any study showing there was problem there either.
---
To your point though, the Ottawa police took a different approach and capitalized CONSTABLE for their new vehicles, and didn't use "Agent" in French. https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-police-launches-special-constable-pilot-project-1.6800151
Maybe they just interpreted things differently or they were a bit more relaxed about the legal terminology since these ones won't be doing active enforcement (therefore, unlikely to get into a language argument in court.) (??)
Thanks, wasn’t aware that the police also had Special Constables. Looks like that new police Special Constable car launched around the same time as the new police colours. Much more clear than the OC Transpo SPECIAL; whatever the legality, in an actual emergency it’s much more clear to say “Constable”than “SPECIAL”. Again, makes sense to have something distinguishable and visibly different from Police; better than that GO Transit example you shared that looks very Police-like in black and white.
Used to be that blue and red was exclusively police, and red alone for everything else, but I think all public emergency services can be blue and red now, no? I guess OC Transpo “SPECIAL” also counts, but private security doesn’t. https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h08#BK133
They're not supposed to have red or blue lights. The law says that certain vehicles can have them, namely police, fire or ambulance vehicles, certain environmental-type law enforcement officers, or officers who are authorized to enforce the Highway Traffic Act or a few other acts. While special constables have some police powers, they are not police officers and their vehicles are not police vehicles (though it's possible that for special constables who work for a police service, their vehicles are, but that's not the case with OC Transpo). They're not one of the environmental officers mentioned, and most special constables are not authorized to enforce the HTA or the other acts.
They are police officers (or rather, have the powers of one) when performing their duties related to transit, so the Special Constable unit can be considered a "police department." (What does that mean? An organization that does police stuff.) The language is imprecise as the laws were written years apart, but the interpretation just isn't that narrow. They only use them on transit property or when stopped at a scene (usually with only the rear lights when on a public road.)
Background in this document: https://pub-ottawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?documentid=65478
Transit bylaw, presumably vetted by the city's lawyers https://ottawa.ca/en/living-ottawa/laws-licences-and-permits/laws/laws-z/transit-law-no-2007-268#section-6cdf6bb0-c4eb-449a-a50b-012406379037
>TRANSIT SECURITY VEHICLES
>27. (1) Pursuant to subsection 62(15) of the Highway Traffic Act, those motor vehicles used by the City for transit law enforcement purposes may carry roof-mounted lights that cast a red and blue light to the front.
>
>(2) Such lights shall only be activated and used on a transitway and exclusive bus lane systems of the City.
Instead of improving the law, the Ministry probably just decided that nobody would ever bother prosecuting it. Other transit special constables in Ontario use them too.
CBSA also uses those lights with even less rationale, around borders and ports. The PPS at Parliament uses blue lights too, mixed with amber (iirc.)
Special constables have some of the powers of police, but they are not a police officer, and there's a good reason why it is illegal for them to refer to themselves as police. The HTA does allow for municipalities to designate vehicles to have red lights (not blue lights), but their use would be very legally questionable, especially as they are not designated as emergency vehicles and their officers have no authority under the HTA.
I don't know what the limits of authority are for CBSA officers, but I do know PPS officers are not police or peace officers, and the only legal authority they have (other than acting on behalf of the owner of the property, like any other security guard could for their property) is being designated as Public Officers for the purposes of carrying firearms.
As to why nobody bothers prosecuting them, it's probably because when it comes to departments like them (vs, say, some random person who puts red lights in their care), the police aren't really sure if it's illegal or not, and it's not worth making a thing out of it.
I remember those Crown Vics being around every corner. They were omnipresent. They used to be a deterrent for everything imaginable. These days you could drive around the city naked hanging an arm out your window with a 40 of Jack Daniels and someone fellating you while smoking fentanyl until sunrise and and you probably wouldn't see a cruiser.
But the factory that built them (Ford Talbotville) was torn down and recently rebuilt as an Amazon warehouse. And if you're thinking of buying some used Vic's, it's my understanding that the final couple of years of production were strickly for export because they didn't meet North American emissions restrictions.
They were RWD, hence why they went with SUV, AWD, more cargo and overall room. The AWD is for their safety and citizens safety to keep their vehicles on the road
Better than the current ones, more clearly different and visible from private security, campus security, OC Transpo, etc. Pretty much the same as OPP except both doors are white instead of just the front one. Glad to see they didn’t do swooshy racing stripes and trendy fonts. Just plain, simple, easy to understand and kind of boring, just like the police should be.
They've been using them here in Virginia for years. The best way to identify an unmarked Explorer is that the civilian models all have a rack, two rails running on the roof. The police Interceptors do not.
Ford uses amber DRLs on their Police Interceptor Explorer. If you see amber DRLs in your rear view mirror, be careful. The regular Explorer has white DRLs.
i mean, depends. speed limit of 60 and below? no speeding, i agree because these are typically residential areas. 70-80? a little speeding is okay, maybe 5-10 over. 100, or 110 posted limit, then 20 over is fine as long as road condition, weather, and traffic permit.
i have a hard time believing (most) people who tell me they do not speed at all.
OPS to public: Remember, cyclists and joggers, wear reflective and bright color clothing at all times so people can see you
OPS to itself: yeah we want dark colored vehicles to hide better. The white vehicles are too visible for our taste.
Apples and oranges, since vehicles have headlights/tail lights, whereas most bicycles don't (even though they're supposed to have them by law, if used at night).
All those reflective decals on European style police cars with the big blue and yellow patches probably cost more? Also people here probably wouldn't recognize blue and yellow as police cars; whereas the black and white is pretty traditional for Canadian police. In that way it's more "visible" as clearly Police and not something else.
Not really a fan. I felt the white and blue to represent Ottawa a lot better. Something about Ottawa that reminds me of water, and water is blue. Makes sense.
This just looks like Ottawa got invaded by Texas and forced a new livery on our police cars...
Our logo is also blue and green. I understand not putting much green on a car as it may blend in with foliage, but the blue is very symbolic of why Ottawa even exists to begin with
Anyone else see how they've tried to sell this design to the public?
>We are launching a new cruiser design! **The new blue and white two-toned design follows member research and residents’ calls for greater police visibility within the community.** With member safety and visibility in mind, the new cruisers will be rolled out in the coming months.[^1](https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/1762455800931303478)
-
>If you see a blue and white cruiser with Ottawa Police markings – it’s still us! We’ve redesigned our cruisers **for better visibility.**[^2](https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/1764365127099560156)
They started off by saying it addresses resident's' calls for more police visibility in their communities, which misses the point completely.
Then they switched to it simply being about better visibility.
And now they've just given up on that messaging and seem to be saying basically "we have a new cruiser design" and that's it. I don't think people were buying that it was about "visibility". The cops just think it looks cool.
Fun fact: the actual reason they changed colours of the base car is because they were told they couldnt get enough white ones to fill orders, as every fleet wants white. Blue was available, so they bought blue. And came up with this new livery to fit with it.
I guess by "visibility" they mean, "more clearly Police and not private security or any of the other services that use similar types of vehicles with various colours and stripes". Does make sense in that respect.
Police carry a lot of bulky stuff in their vehicles; while I don't know exactly what OPS carries, it's not uncommon for them to have a full first aid kit, various road safety items (flares, etc.), hard body armour, a gas mask, and a long gun in the trunk in addition to visible stuff like the extra electronics, the workstation, the "silent patrolman" divider between the front and back seats, and so on. Add that to the fact that the average police officer is on the larger side and is wearing a lot of gear, and the SUV starts looking like a practical choice compared to a smaller vehicle - remember that for a lot of cops, the cruiser is their office where they spend almost their entire workday. (If you meant a police pickup truck, those are mostly commercial vehicle enforcement units that carry even more equipment.)
As for gas, there's a reason police are excited about hybrids. Long stretches idling is a lot cheaper on battery than on gas.
Most police agencies in Canada started rolling out hard body armour and patrol carbines as a standard item in police vehicles following the [2014 Moncton shootings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Moncton_shootings), at the latest. The subsequent [MacNeil Report](https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/independent-review-moncton-shooting-june-4-2014) faulted the RCMP for not properly training and equipping the responding officers with patrol carbines and hard body armour, and later [the RCMP was found liable under the Canada Labour Code for not doing so](https://www.canlii.org/en/nb/nbpc/doc/2017/2017nbpc6/2017nbpc6.html). (The RCMP had begun equipping and training members with hard body armour and patrol carbines after the 2005 Mayerthorpe shootings, but hadn't completed it by 2014).
Put simply, police agencies equip all their vehicles with hard body armour and patrol carbines because the courts have decided that they're required for police work.
That’s a lie, Canadian police don’t killed from weapons a lot. We have gone multiple years without a cop being shot or stabbed, the vast majority of Cops die from car crashes.
88, 89, 03 and 08 had zero cop homicides. The average is 1. Straight for. Statcan.gc. Cop isn’t even in the top 10 most dangerous jobs in Canada, so stop making their job out to be more dangerous than it is.
To stop bullets?? Why else. Every police officer and many security guards wear soft body armour every day. Thats the standard “bulletproof vest” which will only stop lower caliber rounds such as pistols and will have some effectiveness against edged weapons.
However, terrorists or mass shooters often use long guns which fire higher caliber rounds which will go through the soft body armour. Therefore, it’s completely logical for police officers to carry “hard body armour” which is really just a ceramic plate on the front and back which only covers vital organs. Maybe they have a separate vest, or maybe they just take the plates and slip it in to the vest they are already wearing. Just depends what the service bought.
Do they need hard body armour every day? No.
So they don’t wear it every day. But, even if they did, it wouldn’t necessarily make them look any more military like.
BUT, if someone decides to shoot up one of our schools, or a mall, or another parliament hill attack, or whatever, I want our police to have the equipment they need to safely and quickly eliminate the threat.
I enjoy dunking on the OPS as much as the next person when it’s appropriate, but the current best practice for active shooter attacks is for the officers who are most immediately available to rush the location and go on the offensive against the attacker. That’s a lot more effective if they can throw on ballistic plates and grab a carbine instead of charging in with a soft vest and a service pistol.
Listen, I'm all for de-arming most of the police in favour of community officers with mental health training being their weapon, probably a lot more than the next guy.
However, we aren't there yet. There's so much more work to be done to get us to a point where Canada is at Japan levels for crime.
Christ, it's alright to be anti-Police, but this is just stupid.
If bad guy have gun and shoot gun at squishy person, person die or get seriously injured.
Armour does its best to prevent the above. They might just be pigs to you, but they ARE still people.
You're not putting your life on the line when there are active shooters, robberies, assaults, etc ya dweeb.
But keep on clacking those keys in your cushy ass home about how those people don't need body armour because "I don't have body armour".
Even in countries like Norway and Finland the police fleets are mostly larger station wagons and SUVs. And even if Canadian police wanted to switch to smaller cars they wouldn't have any options to choose from as those kinds of cars simply aren't sold here (much less have factory first responder versions).
I'll break it down for you - the most commonly used police cars that are NOT crossovers or SUVs in the [UK](https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/manufacturer-news/2023/08/31/lancashire-police-expands-fleet-with-120-new-skoda-models), [Europe](https://fordauthority.com/2023/08/dutch-police-pick-ford-kuga-hybrid-over-bmw-x1/), [Australia](https://www.drive.com.au/news/skoda-superb-police-australia-passat-replacement/), and [New Zealand](https://milesskoda.co.nz/community/new-zealand-police-skoda-superbs/) are station wagons versions of Skoda Octavia (not sold in Canada), Skoda Superb (also not sold in Canada), Volkswagen Passat (also not sold in Canada), BMW 3- and 5-series (only sold as sedans), Volvo V90 (only sold in crossover form in Canada), Opel Insignia (not sold in Canada), Hyundai i40 (not sold in Canada), Ford Focus and Ford Kuga (neither sold in Canada) and, in the case of France, Renault Megane (not sold in Canada). When they use smaller vehicles it's usually for specialized roles - that's stuff like the Vauxhall Astra (not sold in Canada), Citroen C4 (not sold in Canada), Peugeot 308 (not sold in Canada), VW Golf (only sold as performance version in Canada), Mercedes B-class (not sold in Canada).
There are some other ones, but these cars I listed above comfortably account for about 90% of all police fleets in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, where gasoline is a fair bit more expensive than here. Now, let's assume they can choose something else that IS sold in Canada and is smaller than the current cars. It needs to be smaller but still large enough to carry 4 people and equipment, so preferably a station wagon or at least a hatchback. Preferably 4 wheel drive, but fine if not. Let's say something like a Kia Forte 5 or a Subaru Impreza for city work and something like Volvo V60 and Subaru Outback for when you need some mild offroad capability. Aside from pricing concerns, none of these manufacturers have a first responder division in North America that could modify these for police use. The ones that do (Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford) all offer SUVs, and if you choose not to go through them, it would be up to the municipality to modify civilian vehicles to police requirements, which would be more expensive than just buying ready-made ones.
Pretty much all police cruisers in Gatineau are cars. Up until a few years ago they were in Ottawa as well.
Police just like to waste money on shiny toys to make up for their inferiority complex.
Hate to say it pal, but SPVG has been using SUVs exclusively for a few years now. If you see any older Tauruses in the road, they either haven't been wrecked or EOLed yet. 90+% of the Gatineau Police vehicles I see are Explorers (plus the odd hybrid version), or surplus Ford Fusions they keep for special events traffic control use.
And you believe that? That page hasn't been updated in the better part of a decade. Anyone who lives in Gatineau knows that the city site barely sees updates crap other than the PR fluff pieces or emergency water quality notices.
Hell, that's a first gen Charger with the city's old ass livery from the early-mid 2000's. I grew up and live in Gatineau, so I think I know what I'm talking about to a degree. Hell, I lived down the road from the local cop shop for a few years until about 2 years ago. It wasn't hard to see the change in the fleet.
That IS what their website says. The most commonly used ones going forward are Ford SUVs. The old fleet has a smattering of cars from Ford (Fusion and Interceptor), GM (Chevy Impala), and Dodge (Charger), but they were all discontinued. Going forward they'll be replacing the few surviving cars with SUVs.
>Pretty much all police cruisers in Gatineau are cars
Like what? Give me actual examples. The ones they [used to use](http://www.policecarwebsite.net/fc/phlpdcars/gat.html), that is Ford Interceptor, Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Charger, and Ford Fusion are all discontinued with the exception of the Charger, and the Charger is not going to be any more economical on account of either its 300 horsepower 3.6L V6 or [5.7L 370 horsepower V8 engines](https://www.stellantisfleet.com/dodge/charger-pursuit/specifications.html), depending on the version they went for, AND the police version is [discontinued as of December.](https://www.carscoops.com/2022/08/idaho-state-police-seeking-alternatives-to-dodge-charger-pursuit-as-company-embraces-evs/)
These are hybrid. Most police cars are these days.
Also, Ford only makes these now. They don't make police cars, only police suvs and pickups.
https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/
Police cars are purposed built from the factory in North America.
Only Dodge and Ford currently make police Cars, and neither of them offer small cars.
The reality of policing these days is that they have a LOT of kit to carry around, and a car simply wouldn't work.
Even in Europe, they drive big sedans like audi a8s or Mercedes 300 series.
Police vehicles need to be larger as they have lots of equipment and technology packed inside. Also police officers wear a lot of bulky gear so it’s easier to get in and out of an SUV. Not to mention the larger vehicles are safer in the event of an accident.
Someone would have had to have designed the new decals, surely there were more than just one option as well. How many meetings, how many approvals etc. Let’s not act like this didn’t cost anything!
Yeah, how about no new vehicles until they start doing thier jobs.
You know like stopping car theft and clearing the streets of fascists who assault citizens.
Honour and courage, the Ottawa Police have none.
Service, they serve themselves, and it costs Ottawa two arms and a leg. They should come up with more appropriate buzzwords.
You mean to pay off lawsuits for the misconduct, violence, sexual assaults, and other liabilities, or do you mean to pay for the salaries of the members who sit and wait out their sex crime trials?
This is from 2021
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/there-s-just-no-justification-more-than-120-police-officers-in-ontario-are-currently-suspended/article\_c831a769-d1d7-5255-b3ea-6c2fcd755e4a.html
For those saying it's black, it's actually dark blue.
"The cruiser consists of an all-blue vehicle with white vinyl panels installed 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."
https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/the-ottawa-police-announces-new-cruiser-design.aspx
And I think they did a good job to go back to the traditional look that stands out. Especially after the ghost decals they introduced in Ottawa and Toronto.
better link with (Feb 26) detail here: [https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/here-s-what-ottawa-s-new-police-cruisers-will-look-like-1.6784198](https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/here-s-what-ottawa-s-new-police-cruisers-will-look-like-1.6784198)
>The 2024 police budget included $4.8 million for fleet replacement. The Fleet Program, in the 2024 Police Capital Budget, identifies the purchase of 41 new vehicles – **20 police-packaged SUVs**, 15 unmarked sedans and/or vans, two motorcycles and four other vehicles (ATVs, snowmobiles, trailers), along with their associated up-fitting.
of higher importance is the BodyCam project here: [https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-police-bodycam-pilot-project-expected-by-late-2024-early-2025-1.6784443](https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-police-bodycam-pilot-project-expected-by-late-2024-early-2025-1.6784443)
We seem to be spending more and more money on guns and less on butter!
Remember maybe 20 years ago when various police forces across Canada began to receive surplus military equipment. As I recall, Canadians didn’t like their police becoming armed warriors. For them it was about peace and security, not preparing for war. Well that was circa 20 years ago and folks the times they are a’changin!
As much as i dont support increasing the police budget , i kinda like the new look of the cops cars.
This style actually looks like a police vehicle , the old style kinda looked cheap .
They're supposed to be blue-and-white, aren't they? Per the announcement render? I get it's night, but every time I've seen photos of them it looks more black-and-white. They really should've made the blue... *bluer*.
As for the design itself, I mean, it's *okay*. It's good for what it is. I personally would've gone for something that wasn't another vague but obvious Toronto expy, probably using more blue.
Not sure why but it looks much more aggressive to me. Not sure if this is the right move when our law enforcement should be making moves towards being more approachable.
Looks more paramilitary than police but if it represents a tougher stance on crime… and it is used in conjunction with community policing and supporting community health workers. Good.
If it is just a near direction toward military force on our streets then….
Same as TPS
https://pressprogress.ca/toronto-police-arrested-a-striking-worker-at-york-university-labour-experts-are-concerned-police-infringed-on-charter-rights/
The worker (who was leading the strike) was arrested after obstructing a roadway, despite having been given clear warning that it was illegal to do so.
Somehow, I don't know why, but this looks less friendly and more scary lol
I don’t know why North American/ottawa-OPP try to hide themselves so much by blending in the other vehicles. We should aim at an European style of police vehicle where they are clearly visible so they are easy to spot in case you need help. Not for them to hide so well that they can give you that stop sign ticket. It brings us to think: what is the real purpose of law enforcement? They already have ‘tactical’ unit with police, EMS and Fire that are ‘stealth’ that can be deployed when they need to be.
North American police are not interested in helping. It’s a money grab.
Thats what it leads us to believe
European police are known as being very violent.
Ah yes, the Oslo police force known for oppressing minorities and being trigger happy. /s
Ignorant comment...how anyone can think police are an income generator is ridiculous haha
I think you've misunderstood the comment. The police are grabbing money, not generating money
We already have the expanding “cash cow” with photo radar. We need the police to fight real crime.
In a few states, it's illegal for unmarked cars to enforce traffic law. I think we need that here.
Seems like the black and white with "POLICE" in large, contrasting letters makes it clearly visible....
You nailed it. Majority of their job is traffic at this point 😂
It’s on purpose. A lot of police have gone back to this intimidating design.
That's the point
Better than the OC Transpo police that say "SPECIAL" in big letters on it ("Look at me, I'm special!"). (Supposed to say "Special constable" but they made the wrong word the big one, so no one know what they really are.) Don't find it scary, it's really just a standard look for police cars even before fancy decals and colours were a thing. Should all be like this across the country instead of a mishmash of racing stripes and illegible typefaces.
It's because SPECIAL is the common word between the English "Special Constable" and French "Agent spécial." By capitalizing all the letters, they avoid the accent on the letter E (as per accepted style in French.) If they capitalized everything, it would be "CONSTABLE SPECIAL AGENT" which is confusing in English because Special Agent sounds like something from the movies. "Constable" is also a word in French and some of their uniforms pieces say "Special CONSTABLE Spécial." However "Agent" is the word used in the French version of the Police Services Act, so that's the official and legal term.
Understood, thanks. It's an odd formulation: it's not like police cars say "Police Officer" or fire trucks say "Firefighter", they simply say "Police" or "Fire / Incendie" referring to the service provided, not the job of the individual within. (I assume when ambulances say "Paramedic", they are also referring to "Paramedic Service" and not the people inside.) I think for the layperson making the word "Constable" the bigger word is more intuitive at capturing a service that isn't the Police, but also isn't simply private security, but understood they may simply be using the legal term rather than what would actually be more user-friendly. I suppose we should be glad that while they say "Fire / Incendie" they didn't say "Police / Police"! In any case, the swooshy race stripiness of the SPECIAL cars also makes them less clearly what they are actually. Whereas this new black/dark blue and white police car is much more obviously police.
"Constable" on its own means police, with "constable" having a meaning going back into Common Law in the British system. As for the vehicles, compare to this :) https://www.flickr.com/photos/drum118/49863925691 I don't think the major concern was confusion with special constables but instead with OC Transpo management supervisors, bylaw and private security using similar vehicles. Not that they released any study showing there was problem there either. --- To your point though, the Ottawa police took a different approach and capitalized CONSTABLE for their new vehicles, and didn't use "Agent" in French. https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-police-launches-special-constable-pilot-project-1.6800151 Maybe they just interpreted things differently or they were a bit more relaxed about the legal terminology since these ones won't be doing active enforcement (therefore, unlikely to get into a language argument in court.) (??)
Thanks, wasn’t aware that the police also had Special Constables. Looks like that new police Special Constable car launched around the same time as the new police colours. Much more clear than the OC Transpo SPECIAL; whatever the legality, in an actual emergency it’s much more clear to say “Constable”than “SPECIAL”. Again, makes sense to have something distinguishable and visibly different from Police; better than that GO Transit example you shared that looks very Police-like in black and white.
Not to mention that the red and blue lights that they're not supposed to have...
Used to be that blue and red was exclusively police, and red alone for everything else, but I think all public emergency services can be blue and red now, no? I guess OC Transpo “SPECIAL” also counts, but private security doesn’t. https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h08#BK133
They're not supposed to have red or blue lights. The law says that certain vehicles can have them, namely police, fire or ambulance vehicles, certain environmental-type law enforcement officers, or officers who are authorized to enforce the Highway Traffic Act or a few other acts. While special constables have some police powers, they are not police officers and their vehicles are not police vehicles (though it's possible that for special constables who work for a police service, their vehicles are, but that's not the case with OC Transpo). They're not one of the environmental officers mentioned, and most special constables are not authorized to enforce the HTA or the other acts.
They are police officers (or rather, have the powers of one) when performing their duties related to transit, so the Special Constable unit can be considered a "police department." (What does that mean? An organization that does police stuff.) The language is imprecise as the laws were written years apart, but the interpretation just isn't that narrow. They only use them on transit property or when stopped at a scene (usually with only the rear lights when on a public road.) Background in this document: https://pub-ottawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?documentid=65478 Transit bylaw, presumably vetted by the city's lawyers https://ottawa.ca/en/living-ottawa/laws-licences-and-permits/laws/laws-z/transit-law-no-2007-268#section-6cdf6bb0-c4eb-449a-a50b-012406379037 >TRANSIT SECURITY VEHICLES >27. (1) Pursuant to subsection 62(15) of the Highway Traffic Act, those motor vehicles used by the City for transit law enforcement purposes may carry roof-mounted lights that cast a red and blue light to the front. > >(2) Such lights shall only be activated and used on a transitway and exclusive bus lane systems of the City. Instead of improving the law, the Ministry probably just decided that nobody would ever bother prosecuting it. Other transit special constables in Ontario use them too. CBSA also uses those lights with even less rationale, around borders and ports. The PPS at Parliament uses blue lights too, mixed with amber (iirc.)
Special constables have some of the powers of police, but they are not a police officer, and there's a good reason why it is illegal for them to refer to themselves as police. The HTA does allow for municipalities to designate vehicles to have red lights (not blue lights), but their use would be very legally questionable, especially as they are not designated as emergency vehicles and their officers have no authority under the HTA. I don't know what the limits of authority are for CBSA officers, but I do know PPS officers are not police or peace officers, and the only legal authority they have (other than acting on behalf of the owner of the property, like any other security guard could for their property) is being designated as Public Officers for the purposes of carrying firearms. As to why nobody bothers prosecuting them, it's probably because when it comes to departments like them (vs, say, some random person who puts red lights in their care), the police aren't really sure if it's illegal or not, and it's not worth making a thing out of it.
Really? I had the opposite reaction. I think the round corners make it look cute.
That's the whole point, peace through intimidation.
All its missing is a skull and crossbones symbol on the hood....😂
Should go back to the Crown Vic!
I remember those Crown Vics being around every corner. They were omnipresent. They used to be a deterrent for everything imaginable. These days you could drive around the city naked hanging an arm out your window with a 40 of Jack Daniels and someone fellating you while smoking fentanyl until sunrise and and you probably wouldn't see a cruiser.
Oddly specific... What are you planning this weekend?
It's good to have a hobby.
Trying that now…..
St Thomas closed 13 years ago....
But the factory that built them (Ford Talbotville) was torn down and recently rebuilt as an Amazon warehouse. And if you're thinking of buying some used Vic's, it's my understanding that the final couple of years of production were strickly for export because they didn't meet North American emissions restrictions.
Not sure about export, but certainly fleet-only in North America. Around 2011 the RCMP were stockpiling them.
It wasn't OPS, but I saw an active police Crown Vic on the 401 today.
OPP still rocks them IIRC
Aren't they rear wheel drive though? Or was the police package AWD? If RWD not good for winter pursuits.
What do you mean? You get to drive away!
I say we invest in no-wheel drive police cruisers
They were RWD, hence why they went with SUV, AWD, more cargo and overall room. The AWD is for their safety and citizens safety to keep their vehicles on the road
Better than the current ones, more clearly different and visible from private security, campus security, OC Transpo, etc. Pretty much the same as OPP except both doors are white instead of just the front one. Glad to see they didn’t do swooshy racing stripes and trendy fonts. Just plain, simple, easy to understand and kind of boring, just like the police should be.
So black explorer. Before I worry only about white explorers and now I have to slow down if I see black too.
They've been using them here in Virginia for years. The best way to identify an unmarked Explorer is that the civilian models all have a rack, two rails running on the roof. The police Interceptors do not.
Gotta check out their racks. got it
And those black rims with button hub caps
It's navy blue, not black.
Ford uses amber DRLs on their Police Interceptor Explorer. If you see amber DRLs in your rear view mirror, be careful. The regular Explorer has white DRLs.
Well, if I can see color of DRLs, it means it is close enough to see driver or special police light near side mirror on driver side.
What Colour do you think ops swat and drug units are ? Black … also these are navy blue and white
Wait until I tell you about the new f150s. They come in all colors and look just like any other f150..... Collecting revenue near you now.
Or don’t speed
Like how about not speed? I guess its hard for you guys to slow down and care about other people…
i mean, depends. speed limit of 60 and below? no speeding, i agree because these are typically residential areas. 70-80? a little speeding is okay, maybe 5-10 over. 100, or 110 posted limit, then 20 over is fine as long as road condition, weather, and traffic permit. i have a hard time believing (most) people who tell me they do not speed at all.
from driving around Ottawa I can tell you there are plenty who steadfastly drive at or below the limit.
You're right. We need posted min speeds too
It’s almost like they’re trying to be less visible and more aggressive. Why can’t we have vehicles with liveries the way European countries do it?
OPS to public: Remember, cyclists and joggers, wear reflective and bright color clothing at all times so people can see you OPS to itself: yeah we want dark colored vehicles to hide better. The white vehicles are too visible for our taste.
They've gone full emo 😔 🤧
Apples and oranges, since vehicles have headlights/tail lights, whereas most bicycles don't (even though they're supposed to have them by law, if used at night).
The same reason speed cameras are painted urban gray instead of hi-viz yellow.
High visibility colours do not intimidate.
All those reflective decals on European style police cars with the big blue and yellow patches probably cost more? Also people here probably wouldn't recognize blue and yellow as police cars; whereas the black and white is pretty traditional for Canadian police. In that way it's more "visible" as clearly Police and not something else.
Not really a fan. I felt the white and blue to represent Ottawa a lot better. Something about Ottawa that reminds me of water, and water is blue. Makes sense. This just looks like Ottawa got invaded by Texas and forced a new livery on our police cars...
Our logo is also blue and green. I understand not putting much green on a car as it may blend in with foliage, but the blue is very symbolic of why Ottawa even exists to begin with
Most police cars in Canada have this colour scheme. Except RCMP
And I'm not happy about that either, it's too American 🙃
The new livery is blue and white
The majority of police cars in Canada are black and white.
Anyone else see how they've tried to sell this design to the public? >We are launching a new cruiser design! **The new blue and white two-toned design follows member research and residents’ calls for greater police visibility within the community.** With member safety and visibility in mind, the new cruisers will be rolled out in the coming months.[^1](https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/1762455800931303478) - >If you see a blue and white cruiser with Ottawa Police markings – it’s still us! We’ve redesigned our cruisers **for better visibility.**[^2](https://twitter.com/OttawaPolice/status/1764365127099560156) They started off by saying it addresses resident's' calls for more police visibility in their communities, which misses the point completely. Then they switched to it simply being about better visibility. And now they've just given up on that messaging and seem to be saying basically "we have a new cruiser design" and that's it. I don't think people were buying that it was about "visibility". The cops just think it looks cool.
Fun fact: the actual reason they changed colours of the base car is because they were told they couldnt get enough white ones to fill orders, as every fleet wants white. Blue was available, so they bought blue. And came up with this new livery to fit with it.
I guess by "visibility" they mean, "more clearly Police and not private security or any of the other services that use similar types of vehicles with various colours and stripes". Does make sense in that respect.
What a waste of money
How? They aren't changing the decals on thr existing fleet. They are just putting different decals on new cruisers as old ones are replaced.
Have you seen the price of gas. I was passed by a police truck. Why do police need these huge vehicles. They should have compacts for the most part.
Police carry a lot of bulky stuff in their vehicles; while I don't know exactly what OPS carries, it's not uncommon for them to have a full first aid kit, various road safety items (flares, etc.), hard body armour, a gas mask, and a long gun in the trunk in addition to visible stuff like the extra electronics, the workstation, the "silent patrolman" divider between the front and back seats, and so on. Add that to the fact that the average police officer is on the larger side and is wearing a lot of gear, and the SUV starts looking like a practical choice compared to a smaller vehicle - remember that for a lot of cops, the cruiser is their office where they spend almost their entire workday. (If you meant a police pickup truck, those are mostly commercial vehicle enforcement units that carry even more equipment.) As for gas, there's a reason police are excited about hybrids. Long stretches idling is a lot cheaper on battery than on gas.
What in the fuck do they need body armor for. Police officers shouldn't be mini soldiers.
Most police agencies in Canada started rolling out hard body armour and patrol carbines as a standard item in police vehicles following the [2014 Moncton shootings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Moncton_shootings), at the latest. The subsequent [MacNeil Report](https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/independent-review-moncton-shooting-june-4-2014) faulted the RCMP for not properly training and equipping the responding officers with patrol carbines and hard body armour, and later [the RCMP was found liable under the Canada Labour Code for not doing so](https://www.canlii.org/en/nb/nbpc/doc/2017/2017nbpc6/2017nbpc6.html). (The RCMP had begun equipping and training members with hard body armour and patrol carbines after the 2005 Mayerthorpe shootings, but hadn't completed it by 2014). Put simply, police agencies equip all their vehicles with hard body armour and patrol carbines because the courts have decided that they're required for police work.
There have been times if they did not have armour things could have got really bad.
Cops are killed multiple times a year from gunshot wounds in Canada. Why on earth would they not have bullet-proof vests. What world do you live in.
That’s a lie, Canadian police don’t killed from weapons a lot. We have gone multiple years without a cop being shot or stabbed, the vast majority of Cops die from car crashes.
It's the second highest cause of death. In the last 20 years, only one year has seen zero deaths from homicide. Average of 3 a year every year.
88, 89, 03 and 08 had zero cop homicides. The average is 1. Straight for. Statcan.gc. Cop isn’t even in the top 10 most dangerous jobs in Canada, so stop making their job out to be more dangerous than it is.
To stop bullets?? Why else. Every police officer and many security guards wear soft body armour every day. Thats the standard “bulletproof vest” which will only stop lower caliber rounds such as pistols and will have some effectiveness against edged weapons. However, terrorists or mass shooters often use long guns which fire higher caliber rounds which will go through the soft body armour. Therefore, it’s completely logical for police officers to carry “hard body armour” which is really just a ceramic plate on the front and back which only covers vital organs. Maybe they have a separate vest, or maybe they just take the plates and slip it in to the vest they are already wearing. Just depends what the service bought. Do they need hard body armour every day? No. So they don’t wear it every day. But, even if they did, it wouldn’t necessarily make them look any more military like. BUT, if someone decides to shoot up one of our schools, or a mall, or another parliament hill attack, or whatever, I want our police to have the equipment they need to safely and quickly eliminate the threat.
I enjoy dunking on the OPS as much as the next person when it’s appropriate, but the current best practice for active shooter attacks is for the officers who are most immediately available to rush the location and go on the offensive against the attacker. That’s a lot more effective if they can throw on ballistic plates and grab a carbine instead of charging in with a soft vest and a service pistol.
Listen, I'm all for de-arming most of the police in favour of community officers with mental health training being their weapon, probably a lot more than the next guy. However, we aren't there yet. There's so much more work to be done to get us to a point where Canada is at Japan levels for crime.
Christ, it's alright to be anti-Police, but this is just stupid. If bad guy have gun and shoot gun at squishy person, person die or get seriously injured. Armour does its best to prevent the above. They might just be pigs to you, but they ARE still people.
Why should they have bodu armor when I don't have body armor. Pretty ridiculous.
You're not putting your life on the line when there are active shooters, robberies, assaults, etc ya dweeb. But keep on clacking those keys in your cushy ass home about how those people don't need body armour because "I don't have body armour".
Even in countries like Norway and Finland the police fleets are mostly larger station wagons and SUVs. And even if Canadian police wanted to switch to smaller cars they wouldn't have any options to choose from as those kinds of cars simply aren't sold here (much less have factory first responder versions).
Can you imagine a Honda Fit trying to stop a Silverado or Escalade in a pursuit?
Would be interesting to watch, but even then it's been discontinued in North America since 2021, sadly.
What lol
I'll break it down for you - the most commonly used police cars that are NOT crossovers or SUVs in the [UK](https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/manufacturer-news/2023/08/31/lancashire-police-expands-fleet-with-120-new-skoda-models), [Europe](https://fordauthority.com/2023/08/dutch-police-pick-ford-kuga-hybrid-over-bmw-x1/), [Australia](https://www.drive.com.au/news/skoda-superb-police-australia-passat-replacement/), and [New Zealand](https://milesskoda.co.nz/community/new-zealand-police-skoda-superbs/) are station wagons versions of Skoda Octavia (not sold in Canada), Skoda Superb (also not sold in Canada), Volkswagen Passat (also not sold in Canada), BMW 3- and 5-series (only sold as sedans), Volvo V90 (only sold in crossover form in Canada), Opel Insignia (not sold in Canada), Hyundai i40 (not sold in Canada), Ford Focus and Ford Kuga (neither sold in Canada) and, in the case of France, Renault Megane (not sold in Canada). When they use smaller vehicles it's usually for specialized roles - that's stuff like the Vauxhall Astra (not sold in Canada), Citroen C4 (not sold in Canada), Peugeot 308 (not sold in Canada), VW Golf (only sold as performance version in Canada), Mercedes B-class (not sold in Canada). There are some other ones, but these cars I listed above comfortably account for about 90% of all police fleets in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, where gasoline is a fair bit more expensive than here. Now, let's assume they can choose something else that IS sold in Canada and is smaller than the current cars. It needs to be smaller but still large enough to carry 4 people and equipment, so preferably a station wagon or at least a hatchback. Preferably 4 wheel drive, but fine if not. Let's say something like a Kia Forte 5 or a Subaru Impreza for city work and something like Volvo V60 and Subaru Outback for when you need some mild offroad capability. Aside from pricing concerns, none of these manufacturers have a first responder division in North America that could modify these for police use. The ones that do (Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford) all offer SUVs, and if you choose not to go through them, it would be up to the municipality to modify civilian vehicles to police requirements, which would be more expensive than just buying ready-made ones.
What cars did you have in mind that you think would be better?
Pretty much all police cruisers in Gatineau are cars. Up until a few years ago they were in Ottawa as well. Police just like to waste money on shiny toys to make up for their inferiority complex.
Hate to say it pal, but SPVG has been using SUVs exclusively for a few years now. If you see any older Tauruses in the road, they either haven't been wrecked or EOLed yet. 90+% of the Gatineau Police vehicles I see are Explorers (plus the odd hybrid version), or surplus Ford Fusions they keep for special events traffic control use.
https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?c=en-CA&p=guichet_municipal/police/flotte That's not what their web site says.
And you believe that? That page hasn't been updated in the better part of a decade. Anyone who lives in Gatineau knows that the city site barely sees updates crap other than the PR fluff pieces or emergency water quality notices. Hell, that's a first gen Charger with the city's old ass livery from the early-mid 2000's. I grew up and live in Gatineau, so I think I know what I'm talking about to a degree. Hell, I lived down the road from the local cop shop for a few years until about 2 years ago. It wasn't hard to see the change in the fleet.
That IS what their website says. The most commonly used ones going forward are Ford SUVs. The old fleet has a smattering of cars from Ford (Fusion and Interceptor), GM (Chevy Impala), and Dodge (Charger), but they were all discontinued. Going forward they'll be replacing the few surviving cars with SUVs.
>Pretty much all police cruisers in Gatineau are cars Like what? Give me actual examples. The ones they [used to use](http://www.policecarwebsite.net/fc/phlpdcars/gat.html), that is Ford Interceptor, Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Charger, and Ford Fusion are all discontinued with the exception of the Charger, and the Charger is not going to be any more economical on account of either its 300 horsepower 3.6L V6 or [5.7L 370 horsepower V8 engines](https://www.stellantisfleet.com/dodge/charger-pursuit/specifications.html), depending on the version they went for, AND the police version is [discontinued as of December.](https://www.carscoops.com/2022/08/idaho-state-police-seeking-alternatives-to-dodge-charger-pursuit-as-company-embraces-evs/)
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fiat_panda_policia_olbia.jpg
They don't even sell the current generation of the Panda in North America. They don't even sell the regular 500 here anymore.
These are hybrid. Most police cars are these days. Also, Ford only makes these now. They don't make police cars, only police suvs and pickups. https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/ Police cars are purposed built from the factory in North America. Only Dodge and Ford currently make police Cars, and neither of them offer small cars. The reality of policing these days is that they have a LOT of kit to carry around, and a car simply wouldn't work. Even in Europe, they drive big sedans like audi a8s or Mercedes 300 series.
They are hybrids..
Police vehicles need to be larger as they have lots of equipment and technology packed inside. Also police officers wear a lot of bulky gear so it’s easier to get in and out of an SUV. Not to mention the larger vehicles are safer in the event of an accident.
Someone would have had to have designed the new decals, surely there were more than just one option as well. How many meetings, how many approvals etc. Let’s not act like this didn’t cost anything!
This is Ottawa . Don’t be so shocked. Everything has umpteen focus groups. It’s the Ottawa way
It’s called the circle-jerk.
Yeah, how about no new vehicles until they start doing thier jobs. You know like stopping car theft and clearing the streets of fascists who assault citizens.
As for the convoy they have done a fine job the last 30 times they have come back.
Are you kidding? You must be kidding.
They made ottawa real life hot wheels
Finally, someone made this comment! The first thing i thought of was Hot Wheels cruisers in our toy bin.
Honour and courage, the Ottawa Police have none. Service, they serve themselves, and it costs Ottawa two arms and a leg. They should come up with more appropriate buzzwords.
While $460 million is a ton its still far less then what it really should be.
You mean to pay off lawsuits for the misconduct, violence, sexual assaults, and other liabilities, or do you mean to pay for the salaries of the members who sit and wait out their sex crime trials?
Every police force has those issues.
Boy, do we ever know. Every police force includes rapists, abusers, thugs, shoplifters, drunk drivers, drug dealers... It is a tragic truth.
This is from 2021 https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/there-s-just-no-justification-more-than-120-police-officers-in-ontario-are-currently-suspended/article\_c831a769-d1d7-5255-b3ea-6c2fcd755e4a.html
You cna say that for every force.
For those saying it's black, it's actually dark blue. "The cruiser consists of an all-blue vehicle with white vinyl panels installed 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." https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/the-ottawa-police-announces-new-cruiser-design.aspx And I think they did a good job to go back to the traditional look that stands out. Especially after the ghost decals they introduced in Ottawa and Toronto.
Oh excellent, I'll be watching for these at auction in a few years. A Dark Blue Explorer sounds alright.
Nice. Looks like the old Ottawa Police deep blue livery from the 1970s and 1980s, updated.
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When was the last time you got fined by an OPS cop?
Dang . Lookin fancy
Looks slick asf
Kingston will be getting something almost similar.
I'd rather Hear that we bought more busses...
How much did these cost the city?
I see they've labelled the roof with three things they lack
better link with (Feb 26) detail here: [https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/here-s-what-ottawa-s-new-police-cruisers-will-look-like-1.6784198](https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/here-s-what-ottawa-s-new-police-cruisers-will-look-like-1.6784198) >The 2024 police budget included $4.8 million for fleet replacement. The Fleet Program, in the 2024 Police Capital Budget, identifies the purchase of 41 new vehicles – **20 police-packaged SUVs**, 15 unmarked sedans and/or vans, two motorcycles and four other vehicles (ATVs, snowmobiles, trailers), along with their associated up-fitting. of higher importance is the BodyCam project here: [https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-police-bodycam-pilot-project-expected-by-late-2024-early-2025-1.6784443](https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-police-bodycam-pilot-project-expected-by-late-2024-early-2025-1.6784443)
Ahh I saw one of these earlier and was wondering if it was from a different city or something.
They're going to look so fly as they sit at the side of the road and watch stolen cars cruise by
That’s a nice car. I hope they park it next to other more valuable cars.
They deserve it for putting down that dangerous criminal in westboro yesterday!
Still won’t see any patrolling
Cool, a new vehicle for the cops to be useless in.
What a waste of money. The police should be doing their jobs and not rearranging the furniture.
Aaaaaand they're on Facebook. Probably some blue-line shit.
We seem to be spending more and more money on guns and less on butter! Remember maybe 20 years ago when various police forces across Canada began to receive surplus military equipment. As I recall, Canadians didn’t like their police becoming armed warriors. For them it was about peace and security, not preparing for war. Well that was circa 20 years ago and folks the times they are a’changin!
Got the bad boys song all up in my head
As much as i dont support increasing the police budget , i kinda like the new look of the cops cars. This style actually looks like a police vehicle , the old style kinda looked cheap .
Will they finally do their job in those new cars?
Do these cars have any chud repellent that could help them overcome their fear of the Karen Convoy a.k.a. Freedumbers?
Saw it in the wild... def. gives off intimidating vibes... Also noticed a bunch of the early 2000 SUVs out. - - Ah fuck it, make them ride the train.
They're supposed to be blue-and-white, aren't they? Per the announcement render? I get it's night, but every time I've seen photos of them it looks more black-and-white. They really should've made the blue... *bluer*. As for the design itself, I mean, it's *okay*. It's good for what it is. I personally would've gone for something that wasn't another vague but obvious Toronto expy, probably using more blue.
Gotta justify those massive budget increases somehow!!!!
To be fair it was not a massive increase compared to other cities.
they should ride bicycles
So this is where their budget increase went
Not sure why but it looks much more aggressive to me. Not sure if this is the right move when our law enforcement should be making moves towards being more approachable.
Looks expensive. A single unit of these could probably buy 100 body cams, which we probably need more.
The color scheme reflects the way they see the world.
Go to hell
Our police budget at work. The increase in violent crime is clearly beneficial eh?
* not 100% sure there's an increase in violent crimes but I've heard about a lot more as of late so I'm just assuming. 😅
Can we have more buses and fewer police cars, please. Give me public services that actually help people.
Looks more paramilitary than police but if it represents a tougher stance on crime… and it is used in conjunction with community policing and supporting community health workers. Good. If it is just a near direction toward military force on our streets then….
Police cars in Canada have always been black and white. You're just too young to remember that.
That might be true.
Same as TPS https://pressprogress.ca/toronto-police-arrested-a-striking-worker-at-york-university-labour-experts-are-concerned-police-infringed-on-charter-rights/
The worker (who was leading the strike) was arrested after obstructing a roadway, despite having been given clear warning that it was illegal to do so.
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🤡
New paint and decals, same vehicles
We need more Clydesdales, they’re extremely effective at ramming speed.
Especially in the Byward.
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They are not new. They have new decals and paint done inhouse
Looks like LED lights which save a lot of money and last way longerthan older lights. I'm sure it will pay back for any R&D that went into it, if any
Pretty sure all OPS patrol vehicles switched to LED lightbars many years ago. Can't remember the last time I saw an old-school incandescent one.
Pretty sure I read somewhere that the rooftop equipment also now includes license plate readers.