Redding Police Acquire New Cruiser

Don't be alarmed if you happen to see a black and white police cruiser—rather than a blue one—patrolling the streets of Redding.

The cruiser is the newest addition to the 's fleet. 

Police Chief Douglas Fuchs said Monday the car, which was acquired for $15,000, had been a demo and show car for Whalen Engineering. Fuchs said the car is probably worth somewhere around $40,000 because of the equipment and lighting it comes with.

"It's a little over four years old and only has highway miles on it," Fuchs said. "Whelan kept updating the equipment [inside it]." 

Fuchs said the car has thermal imaging camera, a slightly different radar unit, a spotlight on the front bumper and has "enough lights for two cars."

"We bought the lights and the car came with it," he said, adding that when the department takes apart the car in a few years after its useful life, they'll be able to outfit more than one car with its lights. 

Though the rest of Redding's fleet is primarily blue—there's also a black undercover car—Whelan's car is black and white, what Fuchs said is more of a classic police cruiser design. Fuchs said he talked to First Selectman Natalie Ketcham about the possibility of painting the car to match the rest of the fleet, but decided against it.

Officers in the department "have been asking to go to black and white for awhile," Fuchs said, adding the design on the car is just for "sheer aesthetics."

"A vast majority of [neighboring] police departments have gone to black and white," Fuchs said, mentioning Bethel, Danbury, Ridgefield and Wilton. "To me anyway it's [what a] traditional, old-school police car looks like. We got a great deal."

Fuchs said the department will not paint the blue cars black and white, but rather put the same graphics on the newest car. 

"If anyone even desire to comment on it—the officers like it—feel free to email me," he said. "I wasn't going to buy it and paint it."