The City of Montgomery, Ala., Police Department wanted a tool to help recruit new hires throughout the area. Police Chief Darryl Albert was drawn toward wrapping a Chevrolet Tahoe to boost awareness, but first, he had to track down a company suitable for the job.
Searching Far and Wide
“Recruitment in policing is a big deal right now; there’s a workforce shortage around the nation, and policing is not immune to that,” Albert says. “We thought it was time for the Montgomery Police Department to highlight the police department and the city by utilizing a wrap. We re-tooled the recruitment division—everything from personnel to location to how we perform and what we do. Part of that is the message.”
Albert says his department looked beyond Alabama to find the right design and installation company for the project.
“Distance wasn’t a concern for me,” Albert adds. “I just wanted a good product that would sell what we were trying to sell. We wanted the best that was out there.”
The Department settled on TechnoWraps in Oviedo, Fla. Keith Monahan founded the company in 2000 and has more than 30 years in the vehicle graphics industry.
“Mr. Keith came to town,” Albert says. “He said, ‘Although a conversation via the phone is good, I want to make this more personal.’ He elected to come here on his own, sit down with us, get a feel for what we were trying to accomplish and look around the city, and see the city’s makeup so that he could capture and present the right message.”
A 500-Mile Drive
“I wanted to get into the mindset of Montgomery, and I wanted the wrap to reflect some of the things the city is known for,” says Monahan, who visited the city in late February. “I can make cookie-cutter police stuff all day long, but it needed to be unique and reflect some of the historic things in Montgomery. It was to the point where I didn’t care if I made a profit on it—I knew this was a special project.”
Monahan has completed work for more than 20 police departments and agencies spanning as far as Western Canada.
“It can be a challenging niche, but it can also be very rewarding,” he says. “The Montgomery project was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve had in my few-decade career.”
Albert directed two officers to give Monahan a tour of the city, stopping at places of historic significance for photos that would later be used in the wrap’s design. Museums, murals, art installations and the Rosa Parks statue were among the various stops.
“The design process was fast because I had been designing in my mind,” Monahan shares. “The actual designing portion was finalizing what I had already thought up on the 500-mile drive back. The design probably took six or seven hours.”
Monahan worked with two other installers over a period of two and a half days to install the printed design, which incorporated Orafol’s Orajet 3971RA+ ProSlide and Oraguard 290 Gloss.
“I chose those materials because they’re American-made and cast vinyl,” Monahan says. “I know when they go on a customer’s vehicle that they’ll look amazing and have longevity, durability and the printability is gorgeous.”
The Unveiling
The City of Montgomery, Ala., Police Department unveiled the wrapped Chevrolet Tahoe on May 12. Monahan was present for the showcase.
“It was everything [we] wanted, expected and were trying to accomplish,” Albert says of the finished product. “[Keith] came down for the unveiling. Someone who takes that much interest and pride in their work is someone I want to do business with every day.”
