PALM BAY, Florida –With the election season in full swing, the Palm Bay Police Department is getting in on the action as well. Three of its most high-profile vehicles have been entered in the Law and Order magazine’s “Police Vehicle Design Contest”—People’s Choice category. The international contest, hosted by Hendon Publishing Company seeks to recognize and share some of the best graphics for marked police vehicles from around the world.
The Palm Bay Police Department has entered it’s unified command vehicle, the newly re-designed patrol vehicle and the SWAT team’s armored personnel carrier (APC) which was draped in pink vinyl for a charity campaign last October. The designs on each of the vehicles were created by police personnel working in conjunction with graphic designers within the public works department. “We are very proud of our new look,” said Chief Doug Muldoon. “Everyday our people come to work and deal with serious life and death issues. This is simply an opportunity to have a little fun and showcase our agency in a lighthearted, fun way. So get online and vote for Palm Bay PD!”
The public can vote by visiting http://www.hendonpub.com/pvdc/peoples_choice.aspx. Palm Bay is entered in three categories—Best Community Relations, Municipal Over 50 Officers, East and Best Support Vehicle, Command Post, CSI Vehicle. Click on each category, find Palm Bay Police Department and cast your vote. The following is a summary of the vehicles submitted:
BEST SUPPORT VEHICLE, COMMAND POST, CSI VEHICLE:
Palm Bay Police Department Unified Command Vehicle:
The Palm Bay Police Department’s Unified Command Center was acquired in 2011 via a Federal grant. This state of the art vehicle is equipped with satellite internet/television, a 30′ high resolution camera, and nine work stations which include police radios, phones, and computers. It has two large diesel generators, a conference table, and is air conditioned. The UCC will primarily be used for protracted critical incidents and natural disasters. However, it can also be used as a mobile Communications Center as well. The UCC has a team of drivers and operators who are on-call and can deploy to any location at a moment’s notice.
BEST COMMUNITY RELATIONS:
SWAT APC, “Passionately Pink for a Cure”
The Palm Bay Police Department partnered with a local business who agreed to “wrap” their Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some Palm Bay Police Department employees took on the project in hopes of bringing awareness to the community. At least one member of the team, Robin Renkens, is a breast cancer survivor herself. The “pink” APC was prominently displayed throughout the city and brought to other cancer awareness events. The APC was also featured in the FBI National Academy Associates magazine as well. The vehicle is now back to its original dark blue color.
MUNICIPAL OVER 50 OFFICERS, EAST
Patrol Vehicle:
In February 2011 Chief Doug Muldoon took the helm of the Palm Bay Police Department. Chief Muldoon has been with the Department for 35 years. Due to budget constraints he asked the Palm Bay Traffic Engineering Department if they would be interested in partnering to help the Police Department create a new design for their patrol cars. They came up with a number of designs that were continually narrowed down via polls done through citizens and Palm Bay Police Department employees. Once the final votes were tallied the design depicted was chosen. The Traffic Engineering Department has also helped the Police Department purchase and install the necessary material. The Police Department thanks the Traffic Engineering supervisor, Alan Done, and his staff for making this happen!!
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Obviously TIME and MONEY are NO OBJECT's. What is needed is ' A Contest ' to eliminate the need for ever-increasing Police Departnments ! Common Sense would be a Good Place to start with Police Reform and Accountability before we all go broke !
$50,000 sounds reasonable for a quick sketch , or two. Government adgencies often spen this much money just purchasing an unequiped cop car.
Obviously TIME and MONEY are NO OBJECT's. What is needed is ' A Contest ' to eliminate the need for ever-increasing Police Departnments ! Common Sense would be a Good Place to start with Police Reform and Accountability before we all go broke !
$50,000 sounds reasonable for a quick sketch , or two. Government adgencies often spen this much money just purchasing an unequiped cop car.