If you see what looks like a pink police cruiser coming up from behind, pay attention because it’s the real thing.
Manassas Park police today placed in service its third “code pink” police unit. The car is a 2014 Ford Police Interceptor, fully loaded with lights, siren, radio, and other amenities to match its sister units in the department.
The car comes complete with pink decals in an effort raise awareness of breast cancer. During October, breast cancer awareness month, the car is scheduled to appear at 16 area events such as mammogram screenings, 5K run, and at hospitals.
“The car is an immediate conversation starter,” a Manassas Park police spokesman said.
The police department’s vendor donated the pink decals, emergency equipment, and a custom pink radio console for the car. The unit is expected to don the pink colors through the end of year, as the car will be used by the department’s community services section and brought to community events.
The city has had two other code pink units: A Ford Crown Victoria and a Ford Explorer.
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After this latest unit’s code pink tour is complete, the vendor will then replace the pink decals and equipment at no charge, leaving the police car looking like the standard vehicles the fleet.
A spokesman told Potomac Local the department wasn’t quite ready to announce the new car, but someone saw it parked behind a fence and started asking questions. Then came Facebook and Twitter posts about the new car, and that curiousity prompted the department to unveil the car to the public earlier than had been planned.
After the car completes its code pink assignment, it’s brought back to the station and parked. The car is authorized by the Commonwealth of Virginia for full patrol use, but it probably won’t often be used to stop speeders or catch criminals in the act until next year, when the car is slated to be placed in regular use.
The department spokesman said almost everyone has known someone, or has been touched by someone with breast cancer. Someone “very close” to the department died of the disease, and that is why the department launched the code pink program.
The department says this is the only police cruiser of its kind in Northern Virginia. The City of Norfolk also has a simiar car.
