MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The Martinsville Police Department has introduced a new paint scheme on its patrol cars. Two new units sporting the new livery went into service today and can be seen patrolling the streets of the city this weekend.

            “The increase in popularity of predominately white emergency vehicles including police cars, rescue squad first responders, fire marshal’s cars, and even some Martinsville City vehicles in other departments, has made it increasingly apparent that we needed a change to immediately identify our marked police cars from all angles.  As it is now, an individual might pass a police car traveling through the city and not be able to identify which agency it belongs to until you look at the graphics from the side. The stark contrast in the color scheme of black and white is immediately identifiable as police,” said MPD Captain Tim Porter.

            The Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Martinsville City Sheriff’s Office, and the Martinsville Police Department all currently have mostly white marked units in their respective fleets.  The use of black and white cruisers is becoming an increasingly popular replacement option for municipalities nationwide.

            The black and white units will be phased in through attrition as the MPD replaces older cruisers that are at the end of their service life.  The department currently has ten marked units that are assigned to the patrol division.  It will take approximately five years to convert the entire fleet to “black & whites.”