Latest news with #trafficstops
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Unmarked Police Cars Are Designed to Fool You but These Clues Give Them Away
Being pulled over is not a fun experience! Sitting on the side of the highway while waiting for the police officer to come knocking on your window, wondering if you can talk your way out of the situation. Luckily, there are some ways drivers can attempt to identify unmarked police cars to avoid getting pulled over. An unmarked police cruiser is simply a police car without any of the badging, labels, and colors. It can look almost like a civilian car, blending in with everyday traffic. While it's probably not recommended to try to point out unmarked cars instead of, you know, just driving safely and within the law, there are some things to keep in mind. We developed this guide by analyzing multiple online sources, including reputable publications such as LifeHacker and Car Throttle, and community-driven discussions on platforms like Reddit. These sources offer expert insights and firsthand experiences from drivers encountering unmarked police vehicles. The information was carefully selected to align with commonly reported indicators of unmarked police cars. I'm no expert at evading the law — the most I've gotten are a few disputed tickets. So to find the most useful signs for spotting unmarked police cars, I checked out publications like LifeHack as well as the r/driving subreddit and other forums where drivers clearly are scared of getting pulled over for whatever reason. From here, I looked up how valid these telltale signs really were and then chose the ones that seemed the most obvious for drivers to identify themselves. Just don't use this guide for evil — and if you do, don't mention me. The easiest way to spot an unmarked police car is to keep an eye out for specific car models. American brands often have a specific model that was created with the police department in mind, meeting performance and feature requirements. This includes cars like the Ford Police Interceptor Utility with a manual pursuit mode and the Dodge Charger Pursuit with its HEMI V8 engine. We're not saying all Fords and Dodges are police cars, but maybe don't challenge them at a stoplight just in case. LifeHacker states you should look for the following models: 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe PPV (RWD and 4WD) 2021 Dodge Charger Pursuit (AWD and RWD) 2021 Dodge Durango Pursuit 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility (based on the 2020 Ford Explorer) 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder According to Quora, while some unmarked police cars have license plates that look no different from yours or mine, there may be a few giveaways that could give you a better indicator. Some unmarked police cars may sport municipal or exempt tags, and others don't have registration stickers. Basically, cops are above the law. Who knew? Unmarked police cars are still police cars, so they'll often have a lot of the same features. One dead giveaway is the cage that's used to separate cops from whoever is sitting in the back seat. Also called a "prisoner partition," a cage is used to keep cops and their equipment safe. According to Detective Sgt. Gordon Eatley on Quora, not all undercover police vehicles will have this feature, depending on what they're used for. However, if you see a car or truck driving around with this, it's safe to assume it's a cop vehicle, and you should slow down before you end up in the backseat yourself. You may not even have to squint into the car's backseat to notice some questionable police-related memorabilia. Unmarked police cars will often have the same gear that's found on regular police cars, like dark-tinted windows and a bullbar over the front grille. According to Car Throttle, a super common equipment that even unmarked cop cars can't resist is spotlights. There will often be at least one, which can be found on the driver's side door near the mirror. If you see one of those behind you, it's a bad day to have expired plates. Patrol cars and other police vehicles are kept very clean, according to a site dedicated to police news and equipment. Why? Most cars are shared between officers, and it's just common courtesy to keep the vehicle tidy and safe. If the car behind you looks extra shiny and free of blemishes, it could be a cop car. That's not always the case, of course — there's plenty of anal people out there that are scrubbing their cars down if even a speck of dirt is noticeable. But it's better to be safe than sorry, pulled over on the side of the road by a disinfected cop car. It's not only the car's appearance that may give away its true identity — it could be how the vehicle is driven. However, according to Blu-Eye, a company developing automotive technology, that's not a fool-proof way to identify an unmarked car, as depending on the situation, they may drive cautiously or more aggressively. If a car seems to be tailgating you, that's also sketchy behavior. If you feel as if the car is watching you or following you, it could be a nosy cop, so it's best to make sure you're obeying all traffic laws just to be on the safe side. While police cars are decked out with extra safety features like the aforementioned cage and bullbar, police departments aren't going to splurge on frivolous add-ons. Deputy Sheriff Paul Harding writes on Quora that most police cars are base models, meaning they didn't pay extra for a higher trim. For this reason, you'll often see black trim instead of chrome, including on the wheels. In case you're planning your next Fast & Furious-style bank heist, keep these tips in mind for spotting unmarked police cars. While unmarked cars can sometimes blend into daily traffic, there are some dead giveaways, like police gadgets on the outside and missing registration on the license plate. And remember, check your state's individual rules regarding unmarked police cars — some states don't allow unmarked cops to pull you over for speeding and other offenses.
Washington Post
03-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Republicans target Nashville's mayor for his response to immigration arrests
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Congressional Republicans are investigating Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's response to federal immigration arrests during hundreds of traffic stops over several days in May. Rep. Andy Ogles is leading the charge, pitting the Republican who represents part of the Democratic-leaning city against a progressive mayor who has criticized immigration officials after they arrested nearly 200 people in the greater Nashville area.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
CT state police: 165 crashes this Memorial Day weekend, 16 charged with DUI
State troopers have been busy on state roads and highways this Memorial Day weekend and have made 611 traffic stops that have netted 16 arrests for alleged driving under the influence, according to Connecticut State Police. Connecticut State Police have responded to 2,548 calls for service during the time period beginning at midnight Friday May 23, and ending at 11:59 pm, on Saturday, May 24, according to the agency. During that span there have been 165 total motor vehicle crashes, 13 with injuries, two with serious injuries, but with no fatalities in that time period, according to state police. Connecticut State Police have also responded to 190 calls for traffic services through Saturday. Those type of services include debris removal, assisting with disabled or hazardous motor vehicles. AAA Club Alliance anticipated a 3% increase in travel throughout the state during the holiday five-day period from Thursday, May 22 through Monday, May 26. More than 485,000 state residents were expected to travel 50 miles or longer this weekend and more than two million people are expected to travel throughout New England, according to AAA Club Alliance. There were 83 fatalities on state roads for the year as of last week, down nearly 20 percent from this point last year, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the UConn Crash Data Repository. The numbers show the state is seeing its biggest reduction in fatal crashes in the past five years. Despite a recent fatal of fatal crashes, the 83 fatalities represent a big drop from the 108 fatalities reported at this point last year and the 109 deaths in the same time period in 2023 and 2022. Authorities remind motorists that each of those fatalities is a tragedy and has far-reaching consequences for friends and families of the victims. They urge motorists to follow traffic laws. 'They're not just stats on a paper,' a DOT spokesman has said. 'They represent human life. And people are grieving those lives. So we need to spread some of that empathy and some of that awareness that, if we all did our part we can save lives and reduce some of the tragedies that people are feeling on a daily basis in our state.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Traffic stops continue to rise in CT. Report shows what police look for most.
Newly released data from the CTData Collaborative shows that the numbers of traffic stops in Connecticut continues to trend upward. The 358,000 stops in 2023 represent a 14% increase from 2022 and is also the fourth straight year that the total traffic stops increased. The 2023 numbers remain 30% lower than the pre-COVID-19 pandemic numbers of 513,000 but have increased since the drop during the pandemic when there were 242,000 stops in 2020, 275,000 in 2021 and 314,000 in 2022. The 2024 numbers are expected to be released later this year. Every police department in Connecticut is required to collect and provide data about each traffic stop conducted by their department, including traffic stops, the reason for the stop, demographics of the driver, the outcome of the stop and other information. The Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project was adopted in 2018 and states that 'The Alvin W. Penn Racial Profiling Traffic Stop Law enacted by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1999 required state and local police to collect traffic stops data and report the data to the state. The 2011 federal investigation into the East Haven Police Department brought this issue to the forefront in Connecticut again and led to the Connecticut General Assembly updating the Profiling Legislation in 2012. Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in traffic stops, while enhancing enforcement efforts to improve road safety, are among the goals of the CTData Collaborative. According to the report, the communities with the highest percentage increase in traffic stops in 2023, compared with 2019, are Avon (167%), Weston (147%), Southington (91%), Suffield (90%), East Hartford (82%), Wethersfield (78%), Granby (48%), Farmington (35%), Canton (30%) and New Haven (28%). The study found that 63% of traffic stops were male in 2023 and 58% of the stops were white drivers. Black and Hispanic drivers accounted for 19% each. Ken Barone, a project manager with the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at the University of Connecticut who has managed the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project since 2012 said his group is in the process of analyzing both 2023 and 2024. UConn's Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy partnered with CTData Collaborative about 10 years ago to make these statistics available to the public with not only summary data but also more specific town-by-town numbers. Barone said one of the key takeaways from the CTData Collaborative report is that traffic enforcement continuing to increase. 'We are seeing progress in 2022 and 2023 and in 2024,' Barone said. 'These numbers aren't released yet, but they aren't secret. But in 2024, the numbers increased another 15%.' Barone said the 'new normal' is between 380,000 and 425,000 stops. Barone said the report shows some disparities in searches are occurring across racial groups. 'That is an initial indicator, but more analysis needs to be done before we know what leads to that,' Barone said. 'We are in the act of doing a more sophisticated analysis that not only looks at the rate at searches occurring across racial groups but also look at the hit rate — the rate that police are finding contraband. 'Theoretically, if you are searching drivers of a 20% higher rate one group compared to another you should be finding contraband of a similarly higher rate to justify those rates,' he added. 'Those are the things that are going to come out in June.' The report showed 5,817 vehicles were searched in 2023, which was 1.6% of all stops statewide. White drivers' vehicles were searched less than 1% of stops and had the highest contraband discovery rate of 27%. Black drivers and Hispanic drivers experienced the highest search rates at nearly 3%, but contraband was found in only 20% and 16% of those searches, respectively. The highest percentage of vehicle searches during traffic stops took place in Waterbury (18%) followed by West Haven (11%), Bridgeport (10%), Willimantic (9%), Norwich (7%), Shelton (7%), New Britain (6%) and Hartford (5%). According to the 2023 report, Black and Hispanic drivers 'are less likely to be stopped for safety-related reasons and more likely to be stopped for administrative or equipment violations compared to other racial and ethnic groups. While this pattern has been persistent in Connecticut, there have been measurable improvements over time.' Barone said the 2022 analysis showed a decrease in statewide disparity and said the question his organization is trying to answer is if the 2023 and 2024 analysis shows a continued decrease in statewide disparities. 'The 2023 data looked pretty normal,' Barone said. 'Nothing at a high level stands out. The biggest indicator we were looking for was the pattern of enforcement — it's up. What's the trend in infractions? Down. That's something we are monitoring.' Barone said what he is troubled by is the growing numbers of roadway fatalities in the state. 'The question is what role enforcement plays in all of that. The good news is police seem to be responding to the rise in roadway fatalities by doing more enforcement,' Barone said. 'The question in the type of enforcement is always a matter of what do you need to do to change behavior. 'Meaning if you stop someone if they are speeding, do you think you will change their behavior with a warning?' he said. 'You issue a warning. But if you think maybe you aren't going to change behavior you have to use more of a punitive tool, which is an infraction.' Barone said warnings have gone up substantially since 2020, as police are more likely to issue a warning rather than a ticket. The 2023 numbers show 62% of stops led to verbal or written warnings, 31% to infractions and 4% to misdemeanor summons. 'These are the things we are keeping an eye on,' Barone said. 'Like, could that be impacting driving behavior? Are drivers driving faster now because they feel like they are less at risk of getting a ticket and say get a warning instead? 'The type of enforcement is a good indicator,' he added. 'The area of enforcement that we see is safety-related. Meaning the traffic stops that police are focused on are more likely to be for speeding, cell phones, traffic lights and stop sign violations, things we know contribute more to people dying on the road or getting injured. We've seen a trend in the last several years, a decline in more equipment and administrative offenses and a small increase in speed offenses.' Barone sees that trend as a good sign. Five or six years ago, Barone said, administrative infractions were almost half of the traffic stops and in recent years those numbers are closer to 30-35%. 'The goal of enforcement is to change people's behavior,' Barone said. 'If you determine they are not driving safely, what is it that you need to do to change their behavior so that they drive safely. I can understand the police sentiment over the last five years not wanting to leave people with a hefty fine which could be compounding if you have financial stress at home.' 'But I don't think we can ignore the rising number of roadway fatalities,' he added. 'We are probably at a point where we have to reevaluate whether that needs to shift and we need to increase the number of tickets.' The report showed that 74% of traffic stops were safety-related, 11% were administrative and 10% were equipment-related. Of the safety stops in 2023, 35% were speed related, 11% were stop sign violations and 8% involved traffic signal violations and moving violations. Equipment-related stops included defective lights (6% of all traffic stops) and display of plates (2%). The most common reason for administrative stops was registration (8%). On the topic of disparities, Barone said over the last 10 years the numbers show when police use the traffic laws to focus on violations that are killing people like speeding, following too closely, running stop signs or red lights there is little disparity in the data. 'In this case, you are not only getting the benefit of making the roads safer, but you also have the added benefit of not contributing to the disparity,' Barone said. 'When you go into a neighborhood and saturate it with police to try to solve a gun problem and stop a lot of cars and search them, that tends to be a much lower return on investment. It doesn't contribute substantially to improving roadway safety and it doesn't necessarily contribute to crime reduction. 'Our message for a while to police has been to just go out there and get back to basics with good traffic enforcement. I would like to see another 15% increase in enforcement in 2025. If we can get back up to 450,000 or 480,000 stops, that's a really good sign,' Barone added.
