A growing number of police departments are adding Pride cars to their fleet of police cruisers.
The latest rainbow-clad police cruiser to hit the streets was recently rolled out by the Columbus police department in Ohio.
“This is an opportunity to take what we learned from the past and make a better system for everybody that’s equitable,” the Columbus police department posted on Twitter while introducing its new Pride cruiser during last month’s Pride Month.
The LGBTQ+ friendly cruiser is emblazoned with the slogan “Report Hate Crimes,” features a large rainbow flag on its hood, and has written in large script letters “Love is Love” on its back windows.
The Columbus cruiser is also adorned with a rainbow heart with an overlay of "Columbus Pride 2022." Courtesy of Columbus Police Department
The cruiser is also adorned with a rainbow heart with an overlay of “Columbus Pride 2022.”
The traditional “Police” written on the side of cruisers is flanked by rainbow pinstripes and has a “Pride” license plate written in rainbow colors next to a traditional black police shield decal.
Next to it is the 911 on the rear of police cruisers, only on the pride car, it’s written in rainbow colors.
Columbus police officer Shawn Lutz, a six-year veteran of the force who is openly gay, is assigned to the Pride cruiser.
The Columbus police department did not respond to requests from The Epoch Times for the cost of the Pride cruiser.
Public reaction to the colorful cop car has been a mixed bag of support and outrage.
Yolanda Harris, a TV news anchor with WBNS, saw it as a great way to support the LGBTQ+ community.
Others, however, saw it as special treatment for the LGBTQ community.
Austin's Pride cruiser joins those in the police fleets of Houston, New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. Courtesy of Austin Police Department
“Honestly do we really need a gay mobile to show support. Do we have a veterans vehicle or a mentally challenged vehicle the list can go on and on,” Salvator Brancato wrote in response to a Youtube video the Columbus P.D. recently posted showcasing its new Pride cruiser.
A woman who identified herself as a MAGA supporter and conservative mom tweeted, “The only time I would support defunding the police.”
Houston, Austin, New York City, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Ridgewood, New Jersey; and Madison, Wisconsin; are among cities that already added pride cop cars to their fleet of cruisers before Columbus purchased their Pride cruiser this year.
Miami also recently joined Orlando and Wilton Manor as law enforcement agencies in Florida that have added a Pride cruiser to its fleet of cop cars.
Maxx Fenning, president of the LGBTQ+ nonprofit Prism, told The Epoch Times that he is not “too impressed” with the Pride cruisers.
“Putting a rainbow logo on something may improve the image of the police, but it is a visibility that I’m not sure does much good for the LGBTQ community,” he said.
Fenning said he'd rather see police departments spend resources on things like diversity training and hiring more gay cops.
He said he feels like Pride cruisers are part of what he called “rainbow capitalism,”—a growing trend using aesthetic support of gays to get the “LGBTQ dollar.”
“That could be translated into financial support for public service,” he added, “it is a bit disingenuous.”
Most of the cities with Pride cruisers are among the cities that also defunded their local police departments following the death of George Floyd.
In 2021, the Columbus police department’s $361 million budget was reduced to $337 million.
“We can’t continue to put money into the police budget when people don’t even have a place to stay or the basic necessities needed to survive,” Hana Abdur-Rahim, lead organizer for the Black Abolitionist Collective of Ohio (BACO), was quoted as saying by Matter News in Ohio.
Austin, which cut a third of its police budget, did a makeover in 2021 of its Pride cruiser it first rolled out in 2016, adding more rainbow fanfare including a police shield with a rainbow background and the caption “Safe Place.”
It also added a Pride patch, created by the Lesbian and Gay Peace Officers Association (LGPOA) to its police uniforms.
