Joe T

I think to avoid situations like this every police patrol car that can pull you for moving violations should be paited bright orange with big lights on top... And should all be crown vics to avoid confusion.

Lil Dog

The volunteer department in our town use green revolving lights. You know for certain its not any law official and that its a fine member of our volunteer fire department to save a life!!

Hoss

One needs to keep in mind their location when they get pulled over. I've told my wife that if anyone ever tries to pull her over in a remote location that is dark and deserted then she is to keep driving until she can get to a well-lit parking lot of something similar where there are a lot of people around. A real police officer would understand and a fake one would probably bail out and look for a different target.

Hoss

That's a good idea.

HayHauler1

Yea, like it might get you shot if you pull over the wrong Texan!

Hay

CarlJensen

Back a few years when I was still in Atlanta, they had a problem with a freak impersonating a police car and pulling over people to rape or rob. The police came on TV and told all NOT to pull over, for an unmarked car, unless they were in a well lighted area with other people around. A girl did just this and some overzealous officer arrested her on the spot and took her to the can. You should have seen the fireworks when that happened. I don't know if he kept his job or not but he sure felt a ton of heat. I tell my wife never pull over for an unmarked in a dark or isolated area--period! Getting arrested is better than getting dead!

KVD

Here in our county you can have the wig wags if your a fire fighter and are allowed to use them only if are in route to a fire of what have you. Your only supposed to be able to buy them through the fire house some how.

Now you can also have strobe (mis spelled?) lights. There a little different.

Wig wags tie in to your lights with a controller box thats in a pattern to make them flash, there very bright. Strobes are there own lights and no near as bright, they fon't tie into anything other than a power source. I've put strobes into parkin lights and fog lights on trucks but we only use then for a parties.

Me cousion owes his on dozer service and has wig wags on his service truck that goes out in front of him when he movin he dozer cause the blade is so wide and the lowboy tractor has to have flashin lights on the cab with the wide load banners on the front and rear of the truck.

He had to go to the court house and get somethin showin that his dozer was so wide and everything and he was requirred to put them on his service truck back last year. Before that they only had to be on the semi now he has to have them on a vechile in front of the dozer. I think it's because he went from a D6XL to a D7XL. The blade on the 7 is about 7 foot wider I think.

DG527

Does anyone know what the laws are about this in Texas, no one seems to be able to give me a straight answer... Seems to me it is a dangerous game they are playing!!!!!! STUPID TOO.....[/QUOTE]


You can read the laws pertaining to Authorized Emergency Vehicles in the Texas Transportation Code Chapter 541.201, Chapter 546, Chapters 547.305, 547.501, and 547.702. You can link to the Transporation Code through Texasonline.com... It makes for some very boring reading. I recommend doing this when you can't sleep at night

Totallyrad

Another tidbit of info for you. In some states it is legal for privately owned vehicles to be equipped and operate with emergency lights and siren installed, just like it was a police or fire department vehicle. In Alabama it is only legal if the police or fire chief officially designates it as an emergency vehicle. Alabama law also requires the operation of both the lights and siren together, not either or when responding to an emergency call.

carbuff

That's terrible. Hope that police cadet has been takin to jail!!! Some people are so numb not felling any pity to that poor girl...

Fronty Owner

since everyone has a cell phone these days, dial 911. the emergency dispatcher will know if there is a cop pulling over someone is a certain type of vehicle at that immediate moment.

fiveology

Fronty, that is the best advice, simply dial 911. This accomplishes 3 things.

1. The dispatcher can quickly determine whether it is a cop try to stop you, or an impersonator.

2. If it is an impersonator, hey your already on the phone with the right people, the dispatcher can get a unit started towards your location immediately.

3. This one is the most important and may keep you from spending the night in lockup. The dispatcher can tell the officer why your not pulling over. Cops tend to get a bit antsy, if they light you up and it takes more then 3/4 of a mile, or so, for you to stop. They start wondering whats in the vehicle, why your not stopping, what are you trying to hide, and so on. Next thing you know your in the backseat of a patrol car in cuffs. That can be a real downer, and ruin an otherwise perfectly good day.

Micaiahfied

here in tn there wa a big uproar when they started using a lot more unmarked cars, i personally have no problem with it. The hting that was stressed by the police department is that even in an unmarked car the police officer will be in full uniform. you can see this clearly enough during the day. at night if you get pulled over and the person that gets out isn't in uniform... umm... leave quickly. i don't know if other states have similar laws, seemed like a good idea to me.

the_fox_man4

you know what I would like to add if you do get pulled over by an unmarked cop car or some one acting like a cop, You have the right to Ask them to call IN a Black and white cop car. and they can't do anything, and if you want to get really picky you also have the right not to pull over for an Unmarked if you feel unsafe. but ya use your head with that one. or like they said get on the old cell phone and call 911.

74dart

In my county in NC you can have red lights and strobes if you are in VFD, Wig Wags are not allowed. Also I live so close to SC that in my front yard you can make one cell phone call and hit the NC tower and standing in the same spot make another one and hit the SC tower. If you dial 911 and hit the SC tower it will take a few min for SC to call NC to find out whats going on.