[Southack]

Notice that the real officer, a woman, stopped for the phony “cop.”

That’s screwed up, but our system doesn’t tolerate anything else. Someone flashes blue lights at you, you have to stop or else endure a world of pain.

So even the cop chick stopped for the fakester.

Why have we devolved to this point? For one thing, because police use unmarked vehicles for interdiction. That’s a big No-No.

Unmarked vehicles should be used *only* for surveillance.

But because those unmarked vehicles are abused to do more than just survey, we’ve gotten to a point where any rapist in a Crown Vic can “pull over” any woman on any road at any time.

And the woman pretty well has to stop (even the *cop* in this article stopped) because everyone is intimidated by what will happen if they are accused of running from a real undercover policeman (cue wild-eyed rants about how tough we are that we wouldn’t stop...easy to say over the Internet...harder to do in real life).

Which is screwed up.

If police *only* pulled over people when in marked vehicles...and saved unmarked vehicles for observation instead of interdiction, then we wouldn’t be in this position.

Thus, the misuse of real police vehicles (e.g. the unmarked variants) needs to stop. Unmarked cop cars should be used for undercover surveillance, not interdiction.

[RDTF]

can’t argue with that

[Secret Agent Man]

And the way they are making some of the marked cars (low profile lights, more normal looking) allows them to be used a little more discreetly - but still people would be able to determine they were a real police vehicle.

[GovernmentShrinker]

You’re assuming a lot here. The real cop probably stopped because she immediately knew the car stopping her wasn’t legit. She was presumably armed and well able to take care of herself. Quite likely she had already called it in by the time she actually pulled over for the guy.

And I think many if not most states already have stopped using unmarked cars to make stops. The procedure is that the unmarked car gets identifying information and location/direction of the car and calls for a marked car to pull it over. No state requires anyone to stop immediately in a remote location for a police car (marked or unmarked) with flashing lights. They all advise something like the procedure outlined in this article — put flashers on, drive slowly to the next place you can pull off into a well-lit populated location.

[FoxInSocks]

For one thing, because police use unmarked vehicles for interdiction. That’s a big No-No.

Unmarked vehicles should be used *only* for surveillance.

saved unmarked vehicles for observation instead of interdiction

Unmarked cop cars should be used for undercover surveillance, not interdiction.

So what you're saying is unmarked vehicles should be used only for surveillance. :-)

[thefactor]

so you're taking the actions of a criminal and turning it into an indictment of the entire law enforcement system. ridiculous. unmarked cars are imperative for a number of operations. traffic control being one of them. the officers in unmarked traffic control cars, however, should be in uniform.

word to the wise, if you are suspicious about being pulled over by a fake cop, drive until you get to a well lit, public area and stop there. no real cop will blame you for that.

[Dasaji]

Someone flashes blue lights at you, you have to stop or else endure a world of pain.

Don’t those blue lights have to have a little bit of red in them? I thought blue was for volunteer firemen and such...

[basil]

I’m sure the female officer was armed, as I wish most women were. I’d absolutly love to see more women toting!

[pepperdog]

Total Agreement!

[spunkets]

"So even the cop chick stopped for the fakester."

Why not? If it's a real cop, she can say hi. If not, she can say hi, then bust him.

[Tainan]

There it is.