March 26: State Patrol unveils throwback design for squad cars

Kyndell Harkness, Star Tribune

State Patrol squad cars are going retro with white doors.

Last update: April 29, 2008 - 7:51 AM

Print this story

More from www.startribune.com

The State Patrol this morning rolled out a new look for its squad cars -- a throwback design reflecting the Patrol squads used decades ago.

The design, incorporating a maroon body with white doors, was shown off today outside the State Capitol and is aimed to help motorists better recognize troopers, enhance trooper safety and encourage safe driving.

The look will be phased in as new squads join the fleet. The current squads -- maroon with a gold stripe along the sides -- will remain unchanged.

The Patrol has about 490 marked units and about 680 vehicles in its entire fleet.

And the patrol also wants motorists to know that the look may be from 1960-91 on the outside, but each squad still has all the high-tech gizmos on the inside, including: radar, video camera, 800 Mhz radio, VHF radio, scanner, GPS and a computer.

--PAUL WALSH