Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
Anishinabek Police Sergeant Chantal Larocque is proud to show off the APS’ new SUV cruiser, and most importantly its interactive wrap added in September. The vibrant, warm colours, copied from the APS’ service patch, stand out right away, but what makes the design interactive is the hidden visual elements blended throughout the decal, making the vehicle a scavenger hunt of sorts. Sgt. Larocque says the design is a great community engagement and recruitment tool for the APS, and she hopes the judges from Blue Line Magazine’s annual Best Dressed Cruiser competition think so too. The SUV was entered into the Best Dressed Community Relations Vehicle category for the 2026 country-wide competition.
“My concept was to take the logo, rip it apart, and splash it on the vehicle,” describes Sgt. Larocque of how the initial idea came to be. The wrap was designed by Gateway Signs in North Bay, who also created the wrap for the APS’ Ford F150 pickup truck, which won 3rd place in Blue Line’s Best Dressed Vehicle competition in 2023. Larocque’s intention was to “kick it up a notch” from the last vehicle, integrating more visual elements like the treeline and Indigenous imagery.
But what truly brings it to a whole new level are the hidden elements. “People come and talk to me because of the vehicle all the time, so why not turn the vehicle into an interactive tool? So, that’s why I decided to hide 7 items, 7 being a culturally important number,” she explains. According to the written submission for the Blue Line contest, there are “five culturally significant items, a hidden word, and a kid-friendly object for people to discover.” Larocque adds that those taking part in the scavenger hunt can win prizes, and no one is too young or too old to win them.
The concept makes the APS’ new vehicle a conversation starter and helps to break down many barriers. It encourages people who are apprehensive of police to come and interact with officers in a positive, safe setting. It also gives Indigenous people who recognize the imagery a sense of pride in seeing their culture represented, and for non-Indigenous people, it provides a learning opportunity. “I’ve had people do it lots, daytime and nighttime! I had it down at nighttime in Ottawa in the market, and there was a Cree individual with his phone out using the flashlight just to find all the items,” Larocque recounts, adding that he was proud to see the sacred medicines hidden throughout the wrap.
