Chicago Police M-plate heads for a final roll call
(photo by Lee Bey)
The venerable “M-plate,” the special municipal license plate bearing the prefix ‘M’ that has been affixed to police cars for generations, is being slowly retired by the Chicago Police Department this year, according to a spokesman.
Its replacement? A new state-issued “MP” (for “Municipal Police”) plate similar to those now being used by other Illinois municipal police departments. Police spokesman Roderick Drew said the department this year began putting the new plates on the Chevy Tahoe SUVs that are being phased in to replace the aged Ford Crown Victoria as squad cars.
“It looks like as they get them in, they’ll [equip] them with the new plates,” he said.
Hundreds of non-law enforcement city vehicles bear the M-plate and would be unaffected by the change. But since at least the 1950s, the M plate-equipped squad car has been one of the more enduring, albeit minor, Chicago symbols. The 1980s TV show “Hill Street Blues” was supposed to have been set in an unnamed big city, but darn if millions of views see didn’t see a rather Chicago-looking “Metro Police” car–M-plate and all–staring at them each week in the show’s intro.
The plate makes an appearance in the intro of the late 1950s set-in-Chicago TV show “M Squad,” starring pre-fame Lee Marvin as police detective Lt. Frank Ballinger. Makes me wonder if the plate inspired the name of the show also:
I’ll skip “The Blues Brothers” cop car crash scenes in favor of this clip from the movie pilot of director Michael Mann’s brilliant 1980s TV show “Crime Story.” The opening scene begins with a close-up of an M-plate and goes on from there. (By the way, the restaurant in the scene, Jansen’s, is still on the southwest corner of 99th and Western)
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The old Maxwell Street police station, near south Halsted, was the actual location seen in the Hill Street Blues t.v. series. It had one of the best music themes ever played in the background of the opening and closing credits.
Remenber the unmarked cars had ZA Plates in the early 80′s. They need to at least give unmarked cars various plates to fool the bad guys. By the way, is that the outside of Linblom on the Steve Harvey show.
I remember the M plates and MP won’t be the same even if it is more practical. On another front, why is the CPD using Chevy Tahoes as patrol vehicles? Isn’t that a bit of an overkill? Oh wait, this is Chicago. Never mind.
@Steve: The SUVs do seem a bit impractical. But with the big, fleet-ready 4 door cars being phased out by Detroit, I guess CPDs choices were getting limited.
Keith: I’ve wondered if that was Lindblom too. Seems like the exterior is, but then in some scenes the show the back of another CPS building on the north side.
@Norman: You are right. And looking at HSB intro/them now, it holds up well.one of the best in tv history.
…and speaking of TV intros, here’s what I left out of this post originally because I couldn’t find a way to make it fit: The “M-Squad” into was parodied in the opening credits of the “Police Squad” TV show starring Leslie Nielsen that ran briefly on ABC TV in the early 1982. The show was a precursor to the “Naked Gun” movies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm_t3g4RhpY
i was pulled over the other day and notice that has new vehicles marked MP. now are these the military police that the news informed us that suppose t come to chicago cause if so they were very rude and anxious.also why they do not have badges. apparently cant pull people over by themselves thay have to have CPD with them cause i guess their still in training. but their street tactics will get another officer hurt in the line of duty. CPD can be rude and ignorant but these new jacks are really going to give themselves a bad rep.