Hampton Union, October 30, 2012
[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.]
HAMPTON — The Hampton Police Department has a new vehicle with a new look. The department recently took delivery of a 2013 Ford Interceptor Utility vehicle and it is touting the new motif. Instead of green and white, the color is now black and white. The traditional black and white is only on the newest of the department's vehicles and will be phased in as the vehicles get replaced.
[Editor's note: The Hampton Police Department website has this to say about the new vehicle:
For well over a decade Hampton PD has used the Ford Crown Victoria as the primary means of patrolling our Community. Ford has chosen to discontinue further production of the familiar model essentially opening the market to other manufacturers and forcing Law Enforcement to select a new vehicle for their operations. As a result, all of the major manufacturers have seized on the opportunity to develop Law Enforcement Service models for use.
After an extensive analysis, reviews, and hands on testing we selected the Ford Utility Interceptor as a replacement to our Crown Victoria's. The Utility is based upon the more commonly known Explorer Frame. Ford Police Interceptor Website. We've noticed a similar trend across the nation as California Highway Patrol and locally Massachusetts State Police incorporate the Utility Interceptor into their fleets.
With the change in cars we thought a break into a fresh graphic design would be appropriate. After a internal review we opted for the traditional "Black & White" design incorporating contrasting reflective graphics. The two tone colors and the contrasting reflective elements make it an eye catcher.
The car changeover presents some challenges as we incorporate new equipment into the design. Previously we could just swap gear from car to car, but now with a different body style, exterior dimensions and different interior space we've had to purchase new gear to make the unit operational.]