STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The city Sheriff's Office has quietly changed the look of its vehicles and uniforms over the past several months, making it the latest city law enforcement agency to bring its look closer to the style of the NYPD.
Officials with the city's Finance Department said the changes went into effect last summer.
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We had red and white. We changed it to blue and yellow, because it's more in line with other law enforcement," said Finance Department spokesman Owen Stone.
The previous color scheme looked more like fire or emergency medical vehicles, Stone said, and "not many people could recognize they were a law enforcement vehicle."
Some sources within the Sheriff's Office said the uniform changes -- new patches on sheriffs' shoulders, and new badges -- went into full effect about a month ago.
The Sheriff's Office is the law enforcement arm of the Finance Department, and the chief civil enforcement agency of the state court system. Sheriffs oversee evictions, tow and affix boots to vehicles with unpaid tickets in judgment, seize property and conduct auctions, and conduct tax fraud investigations, with a focus on cigarette tax enforcement. Sheriffs also enforce traffic regulations.
Other agencies, such as the all-civilian NYPD Auxiliary Police, also wear uniforms that closely resemble police uniforms, and drive vehicles similar to NYPD squad cars. NYPD School Safety vehicles have also recently been changed to look almost identical to standard NYPD patrol cars.
The city often refers to the roughly 4,500 Auxiliary Police officers as the "eyes and ears" of the police force -- they're not armed, but they're trained to observe and report, and assist in non-enforcement duties like traffic control and patrolling community events and parades.
For Joseph Fugel, who owns A & J Police Equipment in Great Kills, the look of a uniform often dictates the level of respect officers and sheriffs get from the public.
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Sheriffs, I guess they want to look just like the cops," he said, noting that a sheriff in plainclothes might not command the attention necessary to handle an eviction, a property seizure or any other official interaction. {AT A TIME WHERE PSYOPS IS TURNING FOLKS AGAINST COPS THEY DO SOMETHING TO REMOVE THE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN SHERIFFS AND MUNICIPAL POLICE.}
"They have that law enforcement look. When they get out of the car and their presence is known, they want to make sure they don't have problems."
Fugel said he wouldn't be surprised to see School Safety and Traffic Safety officers -- who wear light-blue uniforms -- make the shift in the next few years.