If you have a lead foot and keep a sharp eye out for New York State troopers, you will need to adjust your strategy and look for different colored cruisers soon.
New York State Troopers announced they are changing the color of their cruisers. New cruisers will have a grey body with gold stripes that pay homage to the 1950s grey motif and better match the Trooper uniform.
New patrol vehicles will feature a gray body with gold stripes starting in 2025, a change from the current fleet’s dark blue and yellow. A state police spokesperson said the design pays homage to a previous 1950s gray motif and better matches the troopers' current uniforms.
Unbeknownst to most people, New York State had to pay an extra fee for the custom NYS Trooper blue. The manufacturers offer fleet vehicles painted at low or no cost, usually white, black, and gray. Changing back to the grey will save the taxpayer roughly $600-700 per vehicle.
In general blue paint colors are more expensive than other colors due to the cost of blue pigment. Add into that the desire for exclusive use, and the expense adds up. It made sense at this time to reduce costs and go back to a former color scheme.
Troopers used grey patrol cars until changing them to blue in the 1970s. The trooper logo and lettering will remain gold. A New York State Police spokesperson said the gold stripe will stand out more against the grey body color and make the cruisers more visible.
“We wear a gray uniform and that gray, people may not be aware of this, is black and white thread that is woven together,” said Technical Sergeant Jack Keller, the Assistant Director of Public Information for New York State Police at Division Headquarters. “That’s to symbolize the neutrality of a New York State trooper.”
More than 1,600 trooper cruisers with the new color scheme will eventually be phased into the fleet. There are currently no plans to repaint all the existing blue-painted cruisers. New patrol cars will be painted with the updated gray-and-gold design, gradually updating the fleet over time.