From the first “unofficial” car to the Dodge Durango, a history of the UMB Police fleet.
This story is one in a series celebrating UMB Police and Public Safety’s 50-year history, the milestones that shaped us, and the work we continue today.
When UMB Police bought its first patrol cars, they weren’t quite what the officers expected. The little Chevrolet Chevette was a subcompact hatchback. The light bar was wider than the car itself.
“I still got a scar where I cracked my head open getting out of the car,” said security officer William Groh, who has served the department since 1964. “There was blood everywhere, it was a terrible mess.”
When chief John Collins joined the department in 1983, he started building a fleet. The department’s first marked car was yellow with a red stripe.
“You could see that thing five blocks away,” said Groh. “It was ridiculous-looking.” He said people would regularly hop in the back seat of the patrol car when it was stopped at traffic lights, thinking the yellow car was a taxi.
Creating a New Look
In the early 2000s, chief Cleveland Barnes held a contest for the department’s new vehicle design. The winner was designed by police communications operator Cindy Harding, who still works for the department today.
With a new design came a period of transition. Barnes lamented that budgetary constraints meant that only new vehicles would get the new wrap, creating a mismatched fleet.
By summer 2018, UMB police vehicles had a new look once again. The white car had a black “swoop” that ran the length of the vehicle from the front tire to the trunk. Red and yellow accents adorned either side.
While the car’s brand used the University look, some members of the community confused the emergency vehicles with the similarly styled campus mail service vehicles, especially for Safe Ride vans. Chief Alice Cary wanted a fresh look to set the department apart.
Cary hired the department’s first public information officer in June 2019. Together, they created and finalized a new look by the following month, mirroring the colors and “swoop” of the University brand while incorporating the yellow and black checker design of the Calvert banner on the Baltimore City and Maryland flags. The department’s challenge coin design was added to the side of the cars. The rear included the department’s new social media handle. The first Dodge Durango with the new wrap hit the lot in October 2019.
Reception to the new design was mixed. Public social media accounts dedicated to police car designs heralded the new look, praising the livery and color scheme.
“I like the black, the gray,” said Barnes. “I think it’s quite sharp.”
On campus, some officers shared that they would have preferred the department’s phone number be on the car rather than 911, which goes to the Baltimore City 911 Center. Four years later, an innovative partnership was established between UMB Police and the Baltimore City 911 Center, enabling real-time coordination of emergency resources when someone calls 911 to report an emergency within UMB’s geography.
When non-emergency vehicles were added to the fleet — cars and vans driven by civilian security officers — the department wanted to maintain the department’s brand while setting the look apart.
While much of the text and marking placement remained the same, small changes set the security vehicles apart: “Public Safety” instead of “Police”; removing the challenge coin graphic from the front door; a white car with the red and yellow “swoop” colors reversed; and the Calvert checks removed.
“In an emergency, our community needs to be able to quickly identify which cars have a sworn police officer inside,” says Thomas Leone, MSL, assistant vice president for public safety and chief of police. “Our security officers and supervisors are a critical part of our team, so it’s important that their vehicles' look aligns.”
An Unofficial Police Car
While the fleet has grown and evolved over the years, Groh remembers before the first Chevette hit the lot. The officers needed a car, but they had no budget. So, they went rogue and bought a used, green unmarked Maryland State Police car.
“The department didn’t buy it. The University didn’t know we had it,” said Groh. The officers were putting gas in the car, changing the oil, and using the vehicle while on patrol. The department was none the wiser.
One day, during a snowstorm, a UMB police officer picked up a doctor in the green unmarked car and drove him to the hospital. A few weeks later, the doctor needed another ride.
“He said, ‘Can you have a police car pick me up?’ And they said, ‘We don’t have no police cars,’ and he said, ‘Yes, you do!’”
The jig was up.
From the first “unofficial” car to a robust fleet of patrol cars and electric vehicles, UMB Police and Public Safety has come a long way. The cars may look different now, but one thing hasn’t changed: Every time the lights flash, it’s all about service, safety, and protecting the UMB community.