Sheriff cars change to ‘moving logo’

BY NORA EL-KHOURI
SALISBURY POST

Sheriff George Wilhelm, with the help of Transport Graphics, a Charlotte company, came up with the new red, white, and blue design which are meant to symbolize the American flag.

Besides the bright colors, the letters in ‘‘SHERIFF’’ are bigger. Rowan County is printed in smaller letters at the top, and Wilhelm has added a red star near the front wheel well.

Wilhelm called it a ‘‘moving logo.’’

‘‘Our slogan is ‘Progressive Law Enforcement.’ You could say we’re moving into the future through progressive law enforcement,’’ Wilhelm said. ‘‘We wanted something more modern. They’re uniquely Rowan County. No one else has this design.’’

So far, seven new cars have been painted, and 10 of the 1998 cars will be painted as well. That will leave three-fourths of the department’s cars with the old design, which they’ll keep until the car itself is retired.

The new paint jobs cost the sheriff’s department $250 per car, which is less expensive than the cost of painting the original cars.

Wilhelm is eliminating the brown-and-gold sheriff’s badge design on department cars to make sheriff’s cars and police cars what he calls ‘‘uniquely alike.’’ The idea is to give a total law enforcement look.

‘‘Some people think that deputies can’t do some things and some people think that police officers can’t do some things,’’ said Wilhelm. ‘‘We want to let people know that they’re the same. They can all enforce the law.’’

Over the next three years, the new design will be phased in for all new cars.

Deputies have also received new blue uniforms as part of Wilhelm’s plan to give sheriff’s deputies and police officers a more uniform look.

‘‘What we’re trying to get across is that the police and the deputies are basically the same,’’ Wilhelm said.

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