The fluorescent lights of the Orland Park Village Board room hummed with an energy usually reserved for high-stakes budget disputes Monday night. The Orland Park Police Department was getting a complete fleet overhaul, and the crowning jewel was a brand-new squad car logo.
Trustees focused on three designs that would decide the new logo that would grace the sides and back of the village’s squad cars.
Mayor Jim Dodge asked Police Chief Eric Rossi which of the three designs did the rank-and-file members select. Rossi said the majority of the officers selected design logo No. 3.
Chief Rossi said the department’s current squad car design has served the department well for more than a decade but a change was needed.
“As the department transitions to a modern fleet, it needs a visual identity that reflects both the deep-rooted community history and its forward-looking approach to public safety,” he said.
Mayor Dodge took an informal poll of the board members to see which of the three logos they preferred and Option 3 was the clear winner.
It was a sleek, minimalist design. It featured a bold, silver police badge along with an American flag draped across the sides.
Trustee Cindy Nelson-Katsenes asked that a smaller American flag be added to the rear of the vehicle. The board agreed.
The trustees looked at the screen showing slides of the three logos, then at each other. Nods traveled down the dais. The tension in the room instantly evaporated into a collective sense of pride.
“I’ll entertain a motion to approve Logo No. 3,” Nelson-Katsenes said.
And with that, Orland Park police squads had a new look.
