Meanwhile in California, putting American flags on police cars sparks backlash

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New American flag design on Laguna Beach police cars have stirred discussion about whether the new theme properly reflects the community. The City Council on Tuesday will consider whether to move forward with the designs or change them

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“People are screaming that the American flag on a police car is somehow or another ... hurting people’s feelings who might be immigrants or visitors,” said Councilman Peter Blake. “People are actually ridiculous enough to bring up comments about our cop cars having American flags on them.”

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Artist Carrie Woodburn went to the podium at the March 19 council meeting and said it was “shocking to see the boldness of the design” when the newly painted Ford Explorers rolled out.

“We have such an amazing community of artists here, and I thought the aesthetic didn’t really represent our community,” Woodburn said. “It feels very aggressive.”

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But the graphic element of the paint job didn't scream “Laguna Beach” to everyone. Local designer Chris Prelitz was dining with his wife at the Montage hotel when he spotted several parents and small children scattering.

“There was like a little panic going on, and I was like, ‘What’s happening?’” Prelitz said. The hubbub, he discovered, was over a cluster of police cars that had arrived at the scene. “When one of them’s there, it works. But all of a sudden, I saw, wow, when there are three, maybe four of them together, folks thought it was a SWAT team, federal agents. So it had a very striking, strong impact, so much so that I think there might be some unintended consequences.”

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