MINOT, N.D. — North Dakota’s law enforcement vehicles keep getting darker, and I think it’s because the cops just want to look cool.

I arrive at that conclusion because their other explanations for this trend are as nonsensical as they are contradictory.

According to a recent report , “the North Dakota Highway Patrol is rolling out a new patrol vehicle that will be less noticeable to approaching drivers.” This squad car is all black, with interior lights and barely there markings. It’s a stealth vehicle designed to “make it more difficult for drivers to identify the vehicle.”

But just a few years ago, the North Dakota Highway Patrol was justifying a shift in the color of their cars from white to black with the explanation that it was for safety. Black is more visible, they argued at the time.

“Black vehicles will enhance the safety of the motoring public as well our officers, because they are easier to see during white-out conditions,” NDHP Colonel Mike Gerhart said at the time .

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