New colors for MTP patrol cars

Metro Transit Police patrol cars will soon have a new paint scheme.

Metro Transit Police cars will soon be sporting a new color scheme and design, thanks to a joint effort by police and Metro Transit staff members.

Last November, Metro asked Metro Transit Police (MTP), a precinct of the King County Sheriff’s Office, to design a new look for its patrol cars. The Sheriff’s Office provides contact police services to more than 13 cities and other jurisdictions throughout King County. Each of these agencies can work with its dedicated Sheriff’s Office employees to design police cars that support its local police-department identity.

Brian Carr, a Metro graphic illustrator, worked with MTP Sgt. Troy Olmstead to get feedback from patrol deputies, and the concept of a black-and-white cruiser bearing logos for both Metro and the King County Sheriff’s Office began to emerge. Black-and-white cars are easily recognizable as law enforcement vehicles, and Metro colors were added to the design for a transit connection.

As patrol cars are retired and replaced over the next three-to-five years, the fleet of marked MTP units will change over to this new design.