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Hundreds ask Vt. to keep prank pig on police decal

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2012 file photo, the state seal is seen on the side of a Vermont State Police cruiser in Middlesex, Vt. Remember that pig hidden within the decal on the doors of some Vermont State Police cruisers? There's now a movement under way to keep the pig. The pig hidden within the red cows was first noticed last week, years after it was hidden there by a prison inmate who designed the 16-inch decals. The creator of the "save the pigs" Facebook page, Cid Sinclair of Barre, wants the state to keep the pigs on the cruisers. He says times have been tough and the pigs are an opportunity for Vermonters "to laugh together as one." He has more than 500 supporters. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

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The Associated Press Updated 4:56 PM Thursday, February 9, 2012

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Remember the pig hidden within the decal on the doors of some Vermont State Police cruisers?

There's now a movement under way to keep it there.

But it turns out there was more wrong with that image than just the white pig hidden as a splotch on the cow, made to resemble one of Vermont's ubiquitous Holsteins. State law requires that the cow in the crest be red — not red and white — as a tribute to the hardy Devon cattle first brought to Vermont by English settlers.

"What I would really like is for the governor to just leave the pigs on the car. That's the bottom line, at no expense to anybody," said Barre musician Cid Sinclair, who created the Facebook page "Save the Vermont Pigs." The site has been liked by more than 500 people. Two hundred people have signed an online petition, he said.

"No harm, no foul, take it as an opportunity to have some fun," Sinclair said. "We live in pretty bleak times and it's pretty rough. We have an opportunity to laugh together as one, as Vermonters."

The pigs in the 16-inch decal were first noticed last week by a state police trooper who was washing his car. The crest is believed to have been altered by a Vermont prison inmate who made the image several years ago. The pigs, a derogatory term for police, are on about 30 cruisers.

The Department of Corrections said last week that new decals would be made at a cost of $780. But state police spokeswoman Stephanie Dasaro said Thursday that so far none of the offending decals had been removed.

She said officials had been made aware of the state law that requires the cow in the crest to be red but had been told it was OK to use the existing emblem.

"We value our emblem and what it represents for our state and our agency and we want to be in compliance," Dasaro said.

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February 09, 2012 09:51 PM EST

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