Jan. 25, 2023 During the annual “State of the NYPD” breakfast, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the department is “exploring potential design changes” for its marked vehicles.
By Rocco Parascandola and Thomas Tracy Source New York Daily News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The classic NYPD police car is getting a RoboCop-style reboot.
The department is in the process of redesigning their fleet of patrol vehicles, which will now have 360-degree cameras installed in them for constant monitoring of the streets, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Wednesday.
The city’s top cop made her announcement during the department’s annual “State of the NYPD” breakfast in Midtown hosted by the New York City Police Foundation.
“The NYPD RMP is iconic,” Sewell said during her remarks. “We are exploring potential design changes as we speak.”
RMP stands for radio motor patrol, a name coined decades ago still often used for marked NYPD vehicles.
While the new design hasn’t been finalized, Sewell showed a brief video of the new vehicle, which will have a green stripe running down the side that connects to the 100-year-old NYPD flag.
Each car will also have a QR code printed on the outside of the vehicle that residents can scan and connect to the NYPD’s websites.
Sewell said the new design will “ensure the safety of our officers, have a QR code to improve customer service and a revamped interior for more efficient and comfortable work environment for our officers.”
New all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E Sport Crossover Utility Vehicles, which were shown off at last year’s New York Auto Show, are among the vehicles expected to take the places of the four-door “police interceptor” as the NYPD gradually retires its traditional sedan-based vehicle fleet.
The new design is just one part of the department’s 2023 Strategic Plan, which includes diversifying the workforce, providing better training, enhancing relationships with the public, furthering neighborhood policing and “promoting public safety and respect.”
“We must remain open of heart and mind to truly adopt this step forward philosophy since, at its core, it requires us to never stop innovating,” Sewell said. “We can never accept what we have as final and we must always strive to exceed expectations.”