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Laguna Beach Keeping Patriotic Patrol Cars After Debate

LAGUNA BEACH (CBSLA) — The Laguna Beach City Council voted on Tuesday night 4-1 to keep the American flag design on the city's police vehicles.

Dozens of Laguna Beach residents had lined up to urge city leaders not to remove the American flag logo from the police cars.

"To take that graphic off of that car would break my heart," a resident told the council.

The Laguna Beach City Council initially approved the American flag lettering for its police department. But after some accused the department of being too aggressive and militaristic, Tuesday night the council voted again.

George Weiss, a retired Marine, was one of the only residents who opposed the red, white and blue lettering. Not because he's against the American flag, but because he respects it. He says it's disrespectful to the American flag and goes against the federal guidelines that determine how it should be displayed.

"For example, you see a lot of it even at the beach," said Weiss. "Hats. Bathing suits. It diminishes the value and respect of the flag."

The Laguna Beach police say that they got hundreds of emails from all across the country supporting the lettering.

Now they have seven patrol cars with the American flag lettering. In the coming days they are going to put the same logo on their remaining four cars.

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