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The Department of Public Safety announced this week that it will phase in a “new” paint design for its nearly 500 marked squads. The maroon-body-with-white-doors design is a throwback to how the squads looked from 1960 to 1991. The paint job will replace the all-maroon-with-gold-stripe design currently patrolling Minnesota’s highways and interstates.
The new design aims to “strengthen the identity and brand of the State Patrol” while making troopers easier to spot on the road, according to a press release.
And there’s no cost to the changeover. According to the Department of Public Safety, only new squads phased into the fleet will don the new design. Older squads will not be outfitted with the white doors and “vintage” badge decal.
The public can expect to see about 100 of the new squads on Minnesota roads by the end of the year, department spokesman Nathan Bowie said in an e-mail.
Winona police changed their cruisers’ designs from navy blue to black with white doors in December 2006. The new look was designed to increase police visibility in town, said police chief Frank Pomeroy.
