With the all-black paint scheme that it came with, the Lathrop Police Services patrol truck – a Ford F-150 with state-of-the-art accessories – was bound to turn a few heads.
And now that Stockton-based OMG Wraps has finished installing a custom pink ribbon wrap that was donated by 3M, it’ll stand out even more.
According to Lathrop Police Chief Ryan Biedermann, the truck has been available for deployment for a little while, but he wanted to wait until October to make it the vehicle that Lathrop Police Services honors with a breast cancer awareness theme – a trend that the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office began several years ago with a number of its patrol vehicles that he wanted to import over to his new assignment.
“There’s really no such thing as too much awareness for a cause like this,” Biedermann said. “It’s something that the public has responded to when it’s been done in the past and this doesn’t end up costing anything – it’s a win-win for everybody involved.”
While Police Departments throughout the area are switching to vehicles with a wider wheelbase because they provide more storage capacity, the Ford F-150 pickup truck was intended to serve a dual purpose – providing the same interior room as a larger vehicle while providing the flexibility that a truck bed provides.
A number of Chevy Tahoe police models are on order for Lathrop Police Services – something that the City of Manteca is rolling over to as well – but Biedermann wanted to make the pickup truck one of the most recognizable vehicles in the city’s fleet and feels that by including the bright pink and black wrap has done just that.
But it won’t be the only recognizable part of Lathrop Police Service’s motorpool.
According to Biedermann, the city is currently waiting on grant approval from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to purchase a Tesla Model 3 that will be used for patrol purposes in place of a gas-fueled vehicle – saving recurring maintenance and fuel costs for the city.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
