How Did Michigan State Police Cruisers Get The Nickname “Blue Goose”?
I've always loved the look of a Michigan State Police cruiser.
Unless it's in my rearview mirror pulling me over speeding, I don't like that at all.
Recently on social media, I've seen posts about events with the Michigan State Police called "Stuff A Blue Goose" and it had a picture of an MSP Cruiser.
After I finally put it together that the MSP cruiser was commonly called a "blue goose", I had to find out the reason behind the name. Here's what I was able to dig up.
Why Are Michigan State Police Cruisers Commonly Called A Blue Goose?
The Ionia Sentinal-Standard said that Michigan State Police cruisers back in the 1930s were all black with gold door striping painted on.
Then in 1954, Commissioner Joseph A. Childs decided to "add some life" to the color of state police patrol cars. The color was changed to a bright shade of blue that remains standard today.
According to the article from the Ionia Sentinal-Standard, it wasn't a welcomed change, and that is how the name came to be:
Uncomfortable with the 'gaudy' new patrol car, troopers dubbed it the 'Blue Goose' in a parody of a well-known commercial bus line of that time.
What Kind Of Cars Has The Michigan State Police Driven?
The MSP, over the past 100 years, has had many different types of transportation.
- Back In 1917, the MSP had mounted patrols on horses
- Lincoln Touring car
- Ford Model A
- Plymouth
- Chevy
- Ford
- Dodge patrol cars.
- Indian Motorcycles
- Currently, they have Harley-Davidsons, Mustangs, Camaros, Ford Crown Victoria’s, Dodge Chargers, and Chevy Tahoes
I'm glad that they made the change to blue because I believe it's one of the best-looking police vehicles on the road. That is, once again, unless it's behind me with the lights on.
