Special to the View

Law and Order magazine recently announced the winners of the 2008 International Police Vehicle Design Contest. It included the Boerne Police Department, which won second place in the category of “Municipal Under 10 Officers, West.”

When fractions of a second could mean life or death for officers or citizens, it is imperative that police vehicles are immediately and clearly distinguished as emergency vehicles as they approach and pass other vehicles at dangerously high speeds.

While the appearance of police vehicles takes into consideration public perception and aesthetics, above all, it is about safety and identification.

The judges noted: “The Boerne Police chose a new design for their patrol vehicles to present a more modern and professional image. The new colors are red, white and blue because they are easily seen against a white car. Those colors are also on the department’s uniform patch. The blue fades from light to dark. The reflective material is 3M, so the words “POLICE” are highly visible at night.“

The judges also commented: “We like the punch line on the car “Cash for tips.” The vibrant, thought-out graphics work well.”

The annual contest was started more than 20 years ago, but in 2004, Law and Order magazine took the redevelopment of vehicle design to a new level with the introduction of marking guidelines. The guidelines tried to turn a fairly subjective method for marking and identifying police vehicles into a standardized system.

This year’s contest was judged by three law enforcement professionals who are in public safety positions.

The 2008 Police Vehicle Design Contest judging was based on the integrity of the designs submitted to the competition, as well as how each design met the criteria as outlined in the contest guidelines.

The 2008 Vehicle Design judges focused on the safety of the officer driving and the ability to identify it as a law enforcement vehicle.

The judges looked for departmental symbols, names in easy-to-read lettering, a badge, shield or community seal, emergency phone numbers and Web sites.