Toronto police stop rollout of grey cruisers after public backlash
'Further work is necessary,' Chief Mark Saunders says about decision
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders announced Thursday he is stopping the rollout of the force's new dark grey police cars immediately.
So far, around 100 cars with the new grey and reflective paint design are on the roads. A police spokesperson said no more of the vehicles will be delivered to the force at this time.
"The concern that has been expressed has convinced me that further work is necessary," Saunders said in a news release.
"There are people who like them. There are people who don't like them," he added.
Saunders also said the force would also be setting up opportunities for public consultation before it goes any further.
Safety concerns raised
Toronto Police Services spokesperson Mark Pugash said on Thursday that he believes the grey cars were "extremely visible" because of their fluorescent decals and markings but that some didn't like the change.
"There were some people who felt that the cars weren't as visible," Pugash told CBC Toronto.
"I think that if there are people who are concerned for safety reasons, I think those are concerns that we have to take seriously."
Pugash also noted that the former commissioner of the OPP has suggested that North American police forces are moving to grey cars, which are said to have better resale value than white cars. However, safety comes first, he said.
"[Resale value is] a side benefit when at a time when people are quite rightly concerned about money," Pugash said. "Safety will never ever be trumped by the resale value of cars."
Toronto council stepped in
On Wednesday, City council asked the police service to retain the cars' current white, red and blue colour scheme. Councillors also asked for an explanation about why the change was made, citing a growing public outcry over the move.
Coun. Michael Thompson, who introduced the motion asking the police board to retain the cars' current colour scheme, said he was pleased with the news.
"I've heard from police officers who are also concerned about the new police cars," he said. "It looks militaristic — it's intimidating."
Saunders said in a Metro Morning interview last month that "no deep thought" went into changing the cars' colour scheme, and he made the decision on his own because it involved police operations.
"Someone said 'do you want it to look the same or do you want it to look different?' And I said 'let's make it look different,'" Saunders said.
With files from Nick Boisvert, Laura Fraser and Metro Morning