# Cops cruising around with the lights constantly flashing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706 "2009-08-17T07:19:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/1 "2009-08-17T07:19:18Z")
They’ve been doing this in Washington, DC all year now. No matter how many times I drive there, I can’t get used to it. Can’t shake that Pavlovian dread whenever I see the lights coming up behind me flashing in my rearview mirror. _Whoa, I hope that doesn’t have my name on it_. But no, it’s just another routine cruise. Admittedly, the flash pattern is different from the usual traffic stop: just one red and one blue, alternating, instead of them all going off like the 4th of July. But it still strikes apprehension into me. What’s up with this? If their aim is to keep the populace permanently nervous, they’re doing a swell job of it. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/2 "2009-08-17T07:44:22Z")
For what it’s worth, I haven’t noticed it in D.C. at all. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/3 "2009-08-17T07:54:54Z")
They do that here all the time. It’s just to show that they’re on duty. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/4 "2009-08-17T08:42:37Z")
DC MPD drive with flashing lights and have been doing it for a few years now. These are not the same lights they flash when responding to a call, but smaller ones under the main lights. Here is an article [http://www.nowpublic.com/lights\_camera\_confusion\_washington\_dcs\_police\_lights\_problem](http://www.nowpublic.com/lights_camera_confusion_washington_dcs_police_lights_problem) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/5 "2009-08-17T09:10:34Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > DC MPD drive with flashing lights and have been doing it for a few years now. These are not the same lights they flash when responding to a call, but smaller ones under the main lights. Here is an article [http://www.nowpublic.com/lights\_camera\_confusion\_washington\_dcs\_police\_lights\_problem](http://www.nowpublic.com/lights_camera_confusion_washington_dcs_police_lights_problem) From your cite: > [@](#): > > Legend has it that after visiting Israel, former DC Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey liked Israel’s system of police cars flashing their lights all the time so much that he adopted this idea for Washington, DC. As I was saying… ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/6 "2009-08-17T09:26:43Z")
I’ve never seen that in the States, but in Mexico sometimes I would see cops doing that. Always figured they just thought flashing lights made them cool. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/7 "2009-08-17T10:17:32Z")
Thanks, **madmonk28** , that article nails the answer. It reminded me that I’ve usually seen white lights, which has given me pause (asking “What are they up to?”) without causing apprehension of being pulled over. But the cop car that showed up behind me last night on 14th Street NW was using the red and blue, which is considerably more unnerving. They should stick to white only for this purpose! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/8 "2009-08-17T10:35:21Z")
Now that I think of it, here in Israel it’s just the blue lights flashing when cruising; the red lights only come on with the siren. ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-cruising-around-with-the-lights-constantly-flashing/506706/9 "2009-08-17T14:27:12Z")
Do these officers happen to be elderly? Are their turn signals also left on?