A Gorham police vehicle without traditional light bar on its roof. File photo
GORHAM — Councilor Benjamin Hartwell had no backup Tuesday in his pursuit to change the appearance of the town’s police vehicles.
Hartwell wants Gorham’s police cars to resemble those of Portland so they would stand out, but his proposal drew no support from other town councilors at their meeting Tuesday. His motion was not seconded, discussed or voted on.
“It was very disappointing that the council chose not to discuss the police cruisers, especially after two other councilors told me they agreed with me and did not care for the current design,” Hartwell said Wednesday.
Hartwell thinks Gorham’s police vehicles should be more visible for safety and public perception reasons.
“I would like to be able to easily tell it’s a patrol car from a distance away,” Hartwell said.
A Portland police vehicle with light bar on the roof. Robert Lowell / American Journal
The Gorham cars are black with a wrap-around, thin blue line and subdued lettering. They have flashing lights on the windshield, grill and tailgate, but no traditional, external light bars on the roof as Portland’s cruisers have.
“I think Portland is a good example with the contrasting white and black with an external light bar,” Hartwell said before the council meeting.
The Police Department has nine patrol vehicles, all SUVs, according to Lt. Dana Thompson, patrol commander.
“One of those is still white and has the old graphics, Thompson said.
Citing Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak’s Town Council agenda notes, Hartwell said Police Chief Christopher Sanborn has indicated that the next round of cruisers will have external light bars and a more pronounced decal scheme.
“Even if the department is moving away from the current design, it would have been good for the council to comment on what they think, address safety issues, and address public perception,” Hartwell said.
“A discussion would also have avoided the appearance that decisions are being influenced by only a few councilors rather than the full council at a public meeting,” he said.
Retired Gorham Police Chief Dan Jones said he doesn’t have a strong opinion about the color of the cruisers. He referred the American Journal to a video about Gorham’s police vehicles that explains their design and gives reasons why they don’t have roof bar lights, including because the roof bars create too much noise and collect too much snow.
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