Burbank police vehicle gets customized to raise awareness
As many law enforcement agencies across the nation have begun to include pink vehicles into their fleets as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the Burbank Police Department decided to take a shiny and chrome approach.
With the help of West Coast Customs, Burbank police unveiled a pink-chrome Ford Explorer that will make special appearances at city events throughout the month. Called the Pink Car Project, the vehicle is a way to raise breast cancer awareness and encourage people to undergo regular screenings to detect the disease early.
According to the U.S. Department of Health, there is a one-in-eight chance a woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life.
“Very few families can escape it,” Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse said. “We got a really vested interest in making sure that we can prevent, detect and take care of cancer.”
Ryan Friedlinghaus, chief executive of West Coast Customs, said the customization work was done pro bono by the company and that some employees even donated their time to work on the car. He said the choice of the chrome wrapping was to help Burbank’s vehicle standout from those of other police departments.
“Definitely the pink chrome was something I thought we needed to do because it pops,” he said. “When you do the chrome wraps and add a tint to it, it just makes a huge difference.”
In addition to the chrome wrapping, the police cruiser is also adorned with pink tire stickers branded with “Burbank PD.”
When the vehicle is on display, community members will have the chance to sign the chrome wrapping with messages of support for those affected by breast cancer. LaChasse said at the end of the month the wrapping will then be removed and put on display at the police station in order to showcase those messages.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
