decoy cop cars

Thread Starter

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
Here in Houston I've noticed a lot of decoy cop cars parked all over the place. They just park them under overpasses or in medians and leave them there, like some kind of scare tactic. I don't know if its a new phenomonon or if I just started noticing it. Anybody else seen this?

I wonder if it's got something to do with the economy. Heard something a while back about laying off cops. Think they have more cars than cops these days?
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
We see them all the time in Dallas. A couple of years ago at the First Saturday sale there was a random shooting. Best theory was some kid was being initiated into a gang, but it left a well like guy who was a vendor with a disabled wife with a hole in his head, he did not survive. Ever since then there has been a car predominately displayed next to the event. Sad part is it is right next to a police substation, which is probably why the kids picked the location.

The police case is still open.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
My girlfriend saw one of those empty cop cars and got so distracted that she rear-ended the guy in front of her. After seeing the same cop car there for a week, I asked why it was there. The police said it was to reduce accidents at that intersection.
 

GetDeviceInfo

Joined Jun 7, 2009
2,192
They use them up here in Calgary as well. We've had some problems with the photo radar vehicles taking rocks through the windows (while the contracted operator is inside), so I suspect they are setting up decoy radar vehicles as a sting op.
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Yesterday here on Long Island (NY) I had a cop pass me who was definitely "acting suspicious." He would pull aside cars, surge ahead, drop back, and do it again to another car while we were all going about 60 MPH.

As he was passing me (after doing the side stop & look) I looked into his car only to see him TYPING on the the laptop mounted over the passenger seat.

Gee, it is illegal for me to use my cell phone to text in this state. Good thing to know I can still surf the web from the driver's seat.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
I've heard they've rescinded the texting while driving law in Texas. It appears there were more accidents caused from looking down (keeping the phone out of view) than were from simple texting. It is hard to beat human nature sometimes, and if you try you end up causing worst problems.

I am of the hang up the D^#% phone and drive school myself.
 

JoeJester

Joined Apr 26, 2005
4,390
Here ya' go Bill.

from http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2011/06/20/203219.htm

Texas Gov. Rick Perry vetoed 23 bills on June 17, including legislation that would have outlawed sending or reading text messages while driving.

Lawmakers approved the texting ban last month, but Perry called it an “overreach” and “government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults.”
I'm sure they still have inattentive driving on the books.


I've seen decoy cars in alot of states. Mostly at construction zones. It's cheaper to part the car with the lights on than to pay a cop to sit there all day in the car. Approaching vehicles do what they are accustomed to doing, slow down and move over.
 
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someonesdad

Joined Jul 7, 2009
1,583
It's certainly nothing new. They were doing it in California when I was driving in the 60's and I remember my dad commenting about it when he was a kid. It's pretty effective along freeways when you come around a corner or over a hill and see a cop car. All the speeding idiots slow down very quickly...
 

Thread Starter

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
It's certainly nothing new. They were doing it in California when I was driving in the 60's and I remember my dad commenting about it when he was a kid. It's pretty effective along freeways when you come around a corner or over a hill and see a cop car. All the speeding idiots slow down very quickly...
The handle "someonesdad" just got a little more interesting.
 

Thread Starter

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
But since he croaked 30+ years ago, he's someonesdead.
That sounds like one of thoses cheasy lines from the show "1000 ways to die"

haha,

The way I read it, it sounded like you were saying you were around when your dad was a kid. I was thinking "whose dad are you, really?"
 

someonesdad

Joined Jul 7, 2009
1,583
Well, he was relatively a kid when he died -- in his early 50's. So I wasn't too far from wrong if you look at it in the right way. But, yeah, I see why you interpreted it the way you did because I didn't say it the way I should have. I blame it on low blood sugar.

I haven't watched TV in decades, so I don't see those shows. But if that's the best kind of writing that they can come up with, then I'm not missing much... :p
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
In Texas we have red light cameras. Run a light (or go through one late) and you get a supposedly no fault bill in the mail for $70. This is because they are meant to take pictures of the license plate and not the driver, money is the issue.

They tried to set up a speeding camera between of the common freeways (a very long stretch of road) between Dallas and Ft. Worth, but after the 3rd shot gun blast destroying the setup they gave up. This was during the early 80's. Welcome to Texas.

The red light camera's are very unpopular, and now and again the Texas legislature discusses banned them. It may happen, but I'm not going to hold my breath. The interesting thing is they haven't reduced the number of traffic accidents, just the kind you see. What used to be a major T collision is now rear ending, with only a modest reduction in the number of injuries and death.
 

TBayBoy

Joined May 25, 2011
148
I don't think he was surfing the web, probably running plates to see if they matched the cars they were on.

The Police in New Brunswick have started a new program, if they see you pulled over on the side of the road texting, they pull over and give you a certificate for a free pizza.
 

Kermit2

Joined Feb 5, 2010
4,162
The 'slickest' trick I can remember was the DPS using road work crew uniforms and equipment to set up speed radar points, and then radio ahead to a waiting cruiser when they clocked someone speeding. The poor idiots that like to travel 80-85 mph wouldn't skip a beat or tap the break at all for some innocent looking road crew like they would for a black and white. Pretty soon people wised up to the trick and I haven't seen it used since.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
I am waiting for the day when I can take a photo of a police car violating a traffic law and expect a check in the mail.
 

Thread Starter

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
The Police in New Brunswick have started a new program, if they see you pulled over on the side of the road texting, they pull over and give you a certificate for a free pizza.
rewarding people for doing right instead of punishing them for doing wrong? What a retarded idea; that'll never work. Leave it to Canada to come up with some pacifist crap like that!

(please read that with the sarcsm I intended)

I am waiting for the day when I can take a photo of a police car violating a traffic law and expect a check in the mail.
I was on cruise control one day and had a cop start to overtake me. he got about 2/3 of the way past me then matched my speed and kept me in his blind spot. a minute later he started drifting over into my lane and nearly ran me off the road. I slowed and let him in front of me and I could see through his rear mirror he was talking on a cell phone, holding it up to his ear. that's illegal here to call while driving. I took out my cell phone and snapped a picture of him but my camera phone sucks and you couldn't tell he was on the phone. damn.
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Cops can do the dumbest things. ONCE I got a ticket for no seat belt about half a mile from where I stopped off the highway for gas. I was doing the speed limit in the right lane when I got passed by a car going very fast (75+) who locked up his breaks, rear end wiggled in front of mine, then he dropped way behind, moved into my lane and lit em up. Bastard nearly drove me off the road then lectured ME what a danger I was.

Worst was new years day many years back. As my inspection had expired 8 hours before I was taking some back roads. Made a left onto a side road, 200 feet up was an entrance to a shopping mall. Damn, cop was sitting right there but doing paperwork. My move was to just drive past him instead of cutting thru the mall as planned. Just as I got to the intersection he drops his papers, checks right, give it gas and turns left directly in front of me.

I locked em up and skidded right into the parking lot. Missed him by inches.

He never looked back.

Today I always assume a cop in a car is a maniac who can and will do anything and it is best to stay the f away from them. Not always the best policy as one Sunday I was driving my Mom in her car to the store. Long line of traffic to go straight, but I was turning left, and the left turn light just went green. I wiggled legally into the left lane, and just as I was about to give it gas I spot a cop coming out thru 2 lanes of traffic (stopped for the light) to make a left. I stop for him and WHAM! SUV behind us didn't see cop didn't see me stop just saw clear lane and green light and rear ended me for $2500 in damage his insurance had to pay for.

Cop followed us to where we went, guy passed me on my way to the cop and said what a $#@%^$ this cop was. Cop asked me what he said, I told him the guy wasn't happy. Cop DEMANDED to know EXACTLY what he said, so I told him.

Guy got ticket for something like unsafe driving.

Rule two: always "sir" a cop to death.

Strangest stop I ever got was at 3AM coming back home maybe half mile out. I was dirt tired and had stopped for something like coffee and got back on road. As I approach an intersection I see two cops zoom up in obvious seeker mode. I check my speed and I'm doing 30 in a 45 zone so say "better speed up a bit." As I pass the intersection each cop peels off either direction so one comes up behind me and lights em up.

I pull over, and the cop asks me "Don't you think you were going fast?"

Funniest stop was 1AM coming back from some night fishing. Bank ATM on far left corner, I turn into the road but traffic kept me from turning into the bank so I drove down the road a while, passed an oncoming car so it was safe to bang a U turn. As I come back to the bank I see car I passed was a cop and he'd pulled over, and he pulls back as I passed and follows me into the bank.

I shrug to myself and continue around the corner of this dark closed bank, park, and get out. As I get out the cop shouts "DON'T GET OUT OF THE CAR" when I am already out and shutting my door. I kinda duck and look around, but he'd talking to ME (LDO). He comes over and sternly asks me what I am doing there. I sheepishly say "I'm going to the bank." He puts on his best "now I got you" look, turns to look at the bank and see the very brightly lit ATM kiosk.

"Ohhh, ATM" he mutters. He then questioned me about all sorts of things, and of course I am out of the car and the situation is highly uncontrolled so I had some fun, like when he asked for my insurance card I walked to the other side of the car to get it. He retreats to his car to write me up for an illegal U turn (it wasn't), but eventually just hands me back my license and leaves.
 
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