Look for the Camaros to fade out of usage. They discontinued that model, and police cars in most applications get beaten up pretty badly.
[QUOTE=ChrisBooth12]
I find it odd that most people assume the worse and think the guy is trying to kill them and kidnap them…This is not Lifetime, this is real life. Now while you do have that right you will probably just make things worse.
[/QUOTE]
Fortunately, most patrol cars are now equipped with video cameras and if you’re polite while the officer is incredibly hostile (as happened to some poor woman who had a cop try to pull her from her car without allowing her to remove her seatbelt) there’s an unimpeachable witness for your defense. Any cop who gets bent out of shape by a female alone wanting to be somewhere visible when she talks to the officer, shouldn’t be carrying a badge, IMHO.
Never been pulled over by an unmarked car, but did have a patrol car come after me with lights flashing on a mountain road where the nearest safe place to pull over was several miles & down the other side of the mountain. I just slowed down and put on my hazards as “acknowledgment” of the patrol car, then stopped when I could. The cop was stern but didn’t seem ticked at me for having driven on.
Seems reasonable to do something similar if you’re concerned about impostors.
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan]
Fortunately, most patrol cars are now equipped with video cameras and if you’re polite while the officer is incredibly hostile (as happened to some poor woman who had a cop try to pull her from her car without allowing her to remove her seatbelt) there’s an unimpeachable witness for your defense. Any cop who gets bent out of shape by a female alone wanting to be somewhere visible when she talks to the officer, shouldn’t be carrying a badge, IMHO.
[/QUOTE]
I think that this is an important point - as a woman, I’ve always been taught to make sure that no matter who is trying to get you to pull over (marked car, unmarked car, “good samaritan”, etc.) you make sure that you pull into a well-lit, very public place, & put on your hazards to acknowledge the officer if that place is a little way down the road. Better safe than sorry, etc.
[QUOTE=Fozzie Bear]
Never been pulled over by an unmarked car, but did have a patrol car come after me with lights flashing on a mountain road where the nearest safe place to pull over was several miles & down the other side of the mountain. I just slowed down and put on my hazards as “acknowledgment” of the patrol car, then stopped when I could. The cop was stern but didn’t seem ticked at me for having driven on.
Seems reasonable to do something similar if you’re concerned about impostors.
[/QUOTE]
I think this bears repeating. Whatever you do, you want to acknowledge that you see the police officer and are going to pull over soon. The best way to do that is with your four-ways.
[QUOTE=steadierfooting]
If my memory serves me correct (my father was a plain clothes police officer for 40 years) you can always demand to have the officer send his superior officer (I’d like to speak to the manager) but for most cases will only worsen the situation.
[/QUOTE]
You could always demand to have them send the president. Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. There is no law stating that a supervisor has to show up on your request. Any complaint you have would be better handled after the incident, either through their chain of command or through the elected officials over the police department (mayor, council).
Ohio law requires that a police car being used “for the exclusive or main purpose of enforcing the motor vehicle or traffic laws” must be distinctively marked and have a colored light on its roof. R.C. 4549.13. An officer without such a vehicle who writes a ticket or arrests a motorist cannot testify at trial. Evid.R. 601©; R.C. 4549.16. A judge I know once prevented an officer from testifying where he had been driving an official but “minimally marked” vehicle that, the judge believed, the average motorist wouldn’t recognize as a police car. Defendant acquitted. Cleveland v. Martinez (2003), 126 Ohio Misc.2d 36.
Heh.
So an Akron PD officer in an unmarked car is, in fact, a fake cop.
He can pull me over all day long, but the state will lose any court case generated by him writing a ticket.
I assume there’s a loophole to this somewhere that prevents me from renting an International CXT and driving over the next unmarked Akron PD car I see?
Maybe the ban in question is only on his testifying in traffic offenses?
Correct, it’s just about testifying in traffic cases. He’s still a cop, and could still jump out and put the cuffs on you for, say, damaging police property. And obviously, unmarked police cars have their uses for detectives on stakeouts, surveillance, transport, etc. Doesn’t make those inside them any less cops.
[QUOTE=BrandonR]
I’ve always been told that if an unmarked car is trying to pull me over, don’t stop… Rather, immediately call 911 to verify if it’s a real cop or not. I agree that pulling over and letting a potential impersonator even approach your car is a huge risk. Besides, if they’re trying to pull you over in an unmarked car, I’m sure they’ll understand. 911 should be able to vouch that you were attempting to call them and not flee, anyway.
[/QUOTE]
Oh great – and then be ticketed for using my cell phone while driving
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir]
Correct, it’s just about testifying in traffic cases. He’s still a cop, and could still jump out and put the cuffs on you for, say, damaging police property. And obviously, unmarked police cars have their uses for detectives on stakeouts, surveillance, transport, etc. Doesn’t make those inside them any less cops.
[/QUOTE]
Well, scratch the old ‘driving over an Akron PD car’ off of my to-do list.
State Police gets on my nerves worse anyway…
[QUOTE=Mr. Slant]
Heh.
So an Akron PD officer in an unmarked car is, in fact, a fake cop.
He can pull me over all day long, but the state will lose any court case generated by him writing a ticket.
I assume there’s a loophole to this somewhere that prevents me from renting an International CXT and driving over the next unmarked Akron PD car I see?
Maybe the ban in question is only on his testifying in traffic offenses?
[/QUOTE]
They said it has to be marked if traffic offenses are their primary function. As I read it, an unmarked car on its way from a crime scene could see you driving like a maniac, pull you over, and legally ticket you. They just can’t make a habit of it.
That seems like a reasonable interpretation of the statute.
[QUOTE=ChrisBooth12]
I find it odd that most people assume the worse and think the guy is trying to kill them and kidnap them…This is not Lifetime, this is real life. Now while you do have that right you will probably just make things worse.
[/QUOTE]
I’m sure it’s happened…people impersonating police officers. You better believe, if I’m driving alone at night and some unmarked police car starts flashing his lights at me, I am, at the very least, pulling into a well-lighted parking lot and calling 911. Any reasonable police officer should be okay with that.
A healthy dose of fear is what keeps you safe.