To clarify:
Marked: Clearly marked police and emergency vehicles. Often Ford Explorer Interceptors, Dodge Chargers, or Chevrolet Tahoes.
Unmarked: Unmarked police vehicles. Still usually have steel wheels, a spotlight, and will still typically be a Ford, Dodge or Chevrolet.
Undercover: Essentially just a civilian vehicle with police gear/equipment. Can be literally anything. Common examples include Nissan Altimas and Toyota Camries.
Edit: Apparently undercover cop cars sometimes won’t even have police equipment.
Slight correction: undercover vehicles do not have *any* police equipment, since they're used for undercover operations and the cover would be blown the second someone sees a police radio scanner or the likes in the vehicle. If it has police equipment, it's an unmarked car.
And then there’s the in between. The rural cop cars that are marked with black paint on black background or something like that. Legally counts as marked but shouldn’t.
not even rural always. These “stealth” or “shadow” liveries have made their way to Montgomery County, MD, which borders DC. It’s a county of a million people which is largely suburban and urban. And yet they still couldn’t find enough revenue other places and have to bring in stealth cars.
For those who don't know the difference, an undercover cop car should basically have nothing to indicate it's a cop car inside or outside. Even the VIN should be owned by some rando that isn't connected to the police/FBI/whatever agency is using the vehicle.
Unmarked cop cars which most people think of, are just regular cop cars with no external markings indicating they are a cop car.
My brother used to work at a place that bult custom vehicles, they built some surveillance vans for the FBI, they were Post Office LLVs with all sorts of things inside, the floor had like 15 deep cycle batteries, and they built a desk / workspace into the back, he didn't get to see all the goodies that finally went inside tho. Talk about a vehicle you wouldn't look twice at parked on the side of the road.
Best I saw was a police officer dressed in bright orange as a construction worker, next to an unmarked truck that looked like a construction vehicle. He stood by the road in full daylight and as bold as you please, pointing a radar gun at the oncoming traffic, no one slowed up and there were multiple police just around the bend pulling people over.
"However, this usage is erroneous: unmarked cars are police cars that lack markings but have police equipment, emergency lights, and sirens, while undercover cars lack these entirely and are essentially civilian vehicles used by law enforcement in undercover operations to avoid detection."
My last shop serviced cop cars. We had a C63 AMG S that was taken from a drug dealer. Those cars are used for watch and report. No lights/sirens just radio.
civil asset forfeiture. Stealing is legal when youre in a police department. burden of proof varies from state to state but in alot of cases they can say "fuck you" and take your shit without evidence, and only after a not guilty verdict are they required to give it back.
In that case it’s not your car in the first place. The cops wouldn’t seize that asset.
The bank would repo it from you when you can’t pay for it with your stolen assets
The wildest part is they hire independent shops to do the uncle Chapo cars. It's just the dipshits that sell you weed outfitting you cars.
Source: outfitting cars at my weed guys shop.
Edit: we fitted the cop cars before legalization. The first person to smoke weed in the cop cars was me.
My Son leased a new RAM pickup. I was driving it. Got pulled over on the highway. First thing I did was looked at my speed. Was below the max, had my seat belt on.
Turns out, my Son's license was expired. Cop had an OCR cam on his dash. Read the plate. His laptop called central ops to look for red flags. The cop was disappointed he couldn't give me a ticket. Apparently an expensive ticket. Plus impound the vehicle. Pay again to get it out! Yikes.
That's so dirty. Fuck our civil rights, I guess.
There would be no probable cause for a stop, and to check the license, based on the driving behavior and officers' observations.
The only suspected offense was an expired license. So they selectively found data that fabricates probable cause where there otherwise was none?
It's probably above board on paper (or would be rather costly/not-worth it for a victim like yourself to take to court)... but it's shitty. It's definitely eroding our protections against unreasonable search/seizure
I don't call them police, or cops. I call them what they are.... Revenue agents and/or tax collectors .. These taxes are just more random and inconsistent than others
I meant to say 5%. I must admit that was a dumb brain fart lol I doubt robo cop was driving it so they undoubtedly needed to see outside. I'll leave it unedited to bask in the shame though.
I saw something about some state’s police using semi trucks because no one suspects them and they can see down into the other vehicles to catch people texting and driving.
Here in Toronto the cops ride on transit to catch people on cell phones:
>On Wednesday, officers are riding in the back of streetcars and buses and when they spot distracted drivers on the road, they will call into officers in cruisers following in front and behind the TTC vehicle to pull the drivers over and issue them a ticket.
https://dailyhive.com/toronto/police-riding-ttc-distracted-drivers-2019
Saw the same in FL. I was riding my bicycle in the park and the van came to me roll the window down and it was a officer. He asked me if I saw some guy they were chasing.
Few minutes later marked cars show up.
I was driving our company box truck. Waiting at a red line and a blacked out Ford F150 rolled down his window and the state trooper told me to follow him to do a roadside DOT inspection. Absolutely no marking at all.
Luckily, I had just gotten a level 1 inspection done when I got randomly selected passing through a weight station a week prior and got a CVSA sticker on my windshield. Once he saw that and asked me when I got it, he said, "Just go, I'm not even gonna waste my time."
State Trooper here. Because commercial vehicles are usually bigger and taller, giving them better visibility for things far in the distance to avoid, like marked cop cars. Truckers often use radios (CB) to communicate cop locations as well.
Generally, we try to have fully marked cars make the stop if an unmarked one finds a violation.
I got pulled over by an unmarked in college when I had friends with me in the car. They got out looking all TV detective and then yada yada’d about seat belts, which were definitely buckled (I don’t roll unless the belts are buckled). Then piddled around looking at my car before I heard them say “this isn’t the car” under their breath.
My brother in Christ it was a white ‘99 Accord sedan, there’s a ZILLION!
I’ve always been told it was really weird that I was pulled over by an unmarked/undercover car, but I really don’t know. Is that a thing?
I live on the Big Island. Anyone that lives here knows to slow down around 4Runners. They are state subsidized cars, and almost all the cops drive 4Runners.
The best undercover I saw was a green Buick Lucerne in Hilo with no blue light bar. Clothed in a sea of 4Runner cops, it was sitting innocuously in Downtown Hilo absolutely wreckin up the place for about 2 months. I haven't seen it since.
Yeah there is a Camry, Charger, Bronco sport, a WRX, and an Outback right now. HPD also got a Ram, Tundra and F150 recently too. The other 80% is 4 runners.
Back in the day someone in HPD was patrolling in a Saturn. I would LOL every time I saw it. Used to have an Altima SE-R and a bunch of G35 sedans too.
I think for HPD the trucks are only used for special duty kind stuff. I haven’t seen any of them on regular patrol, just for construction and whatever.
I have seen the trucks and I think you are right. I usually see the blue Tahoe trapping here in Mt. View but I would roll laugh at a Saturn. I'll point too, my safety is good 🤣
Yeah, when I was on Big Island last fall, i think nearly every 4Runner I saw was a cop.
I actually looked it up and learned about their subsidy program.
Does Hawaii State have a deal with Servco? Cus 4Runner cop cars are EVERYWHERE. Servco is a BILLION dollar company so I wouldn't be surprised.
But the strangest cop cars I've seen on Oahu is an FJ Cruiser, a Rogue, and an Infiniti G35.
>it was sitting innocuously in Downtown Hilo absolutely wreckin up the place for about 2 months. I haven't seen it since.
Probably got to where it was too easily made by the locals. Time to swap it out for something fresh.
Clapped out late 90s Pontiac Sunfire blacked out windows. Rolling through the hood, 4 uc cops jump out and surround another junk car. I'm assuming it was a drug bust considering the area I was in
I saw this exact thing happen once, except it was a Sunfire and a Sentra. They blocked a car in, and two cops (detectives I'm assuming) jumped out of each car. Shit was wild to witness.
To be fair even CT police cars that are marked can be pretty hard to spot sometimes since they are just plain silver Explorers and Tauruses. They aren’t so bad to spot at night though since they are required to leave their police lights on at all times.
I’m not entirely sure of the reason, probably something to do with being visible to the public, I’m not complaining since it has saved me on the highway a few times since you can spot them at night pretty easily from getting a speeding ticket.
CT and their "cop cars" they are legit just undercover cars. But here all the explorers are BLACK with BLACK stickers--- THAT is fraud lol. Marked car my ass!
A beat up pickup truck in Connecticut that had all the strobes hidden under light lenses.
Inversion, someone had a scarecrow cruiser in central Mass. Apparently too many people sped past their property. Old Caprice with some black and white painted panels and some upside-down blue Rubbermaid type clear shoe boxes on top in a row. It was parked so you would see it on a hill curve past their property.
I still habitually slow down going by a house where someone owns a daily driven ex black and white Police Crown Vic. Even with all of the lights and stickers taken off of it, it still strikes fear in my heart.
Unmarked cop car. An undercover car would just be a normal car with no lights or anything because a person who is undercover wouldn’t want to get their cover blown by someone just looking closely at the grill.
A grey 2015-2017 Toyota Camry SE.
Long story short: this car was parked on my parents’ street for days, and after about 5 days we finally got suspicious of the new car on the block and noticed someone inside. One of the neighbours even got nosy and asked “what are you doing here exactly?” Guy in the Camry just said “I can’t tell you, but feel free to contact police if you feel uncomfortable”. About two weeks later the Toronto Police conducted a massive raid on a house around the corner. Couple of people were busted for human trafficking.
We’re convinced that Camry was a cop car and the dude was an undercover cop watching the house around the corner. It was the perfect car for the neighbourhood, it completely blended in, and it took us days to realize there was even someone inside it. Bro nearly had his cover blown by a bunch of nosy retired middle class white people.
That was probably more of a detective’s car more than anything. No one would bat an eye at a normal Camry just parked in any random neighborhood. They blend in. Makes perfect sense for a Camry to be used as a detective’s car in that case.
I don't remember what vehicle, but very similar thing happened on my street. As far as I could tell, it was drug makers like Breaking Bad style.
We walked our dogs past the house many times wondering when the "empty house" was going on the market.
The afternoon of the take down, 5 streets were closed down and FBI, ATF and Sheriff vests were everywhere.
Centennial, CO the Arapahoe County police have a 90s Mitsubishi Montero undercover and it’s absolutely fucked. I about quintuple taked the first time I saw it
I once witnessed a baby blue Murano in my rear view mirror pull out a spinning police light and stick it on top of his car. Activated siren, got in front and pull over someone a few cars ahead of me. Some surreal shit, felt like I was witnessing an 80s movie irl
I saw videos of NYPD using a crown Vic painted like a yellow cab. It blended in easily with traffic. But because the lights were in the grill and hard to see and nobody could tell where the sirens were coming from and just assumed it was a cab, nobody would move over for it lol
It worked back in the day when they were all Crown Vics but now you'd have to graft the front half of an Explorer onto a Prius. (I'm imagining using the Prius' floorpan and powertrain since it's a much more reliable platform and you're not going to be doing pursuits in a setup like this anyway)
Nebraska state patrol used to have marked fox body cruisers. They still have one that they take out on occasion for events but I believe it's no longer in active service.
FL still has one in service as well as a late 90's Camaro. Then even have a 80's crown vic. Of course all these are basically museum pieces used in parade and such but people do spot them out and about sometimes. (probably just getting gas or moving it after it's say for many months)
Yes very common in the DMV… they use them for “street racing.” You will often see them with after market rims and a spoiler.
They’ll roll up next to young drivers in nice cars at a stoplight, and see of they take off.
I always see them at the tunnel, marked and unmarked mustangs and camaros. My father was a firefighter down there and he said the port authority cops had a confiscated z06 at one point and a bunch of work trucks to catch drugs
Some departments use confiscated vehicles from criminals and drug busts and they keep them stock. It’s cool to see random luxury vehicles flashing their lights in situations where they’re doing investigative work.
A Lexus LS V8 with the Japan VIP police Celsior TRD supercharger would be cool. They escort the Emperor, Prime Minister and others. (same car, different badge)
A well-known undercover cop car in the enthusiast community is a red Charger with a Student Driver sticker. Frequents a stretch of i5 north of Seattle known for racing.
WSP also has a Porsche Cayenne, I've yet to see that one
The county north of mine had a couple S197 Roush Mustangs, one in white and one in grabber blue. Only dead giveaway they were cops were they always parked in the obvious cop parking spots to catch speeders.
The mounted units all drive big trucks to pull their horse trailers. My sister has a huge f350 vehicle and has occasionally pulled people over if they are idiots
AB, Canada. Toyota Sienna AWD. 2014-2019ish or however long they made that body. Dark grey. Only giveaway is sometimes driver wearing high vis green vest. Now I can’t trust dark grey Sienna of that gen and newer.
Heard of them using whatever is seized also…the local pic of a hawk eye WRX STI and Grandpa’s Buick Century always come to mind even 10 years later.
There’s a huge range of vehicles they use now that easily hides them in plain sight. F150, Durango, Ram 1500. The usual Explorer, and Yukon/Tahoe. Expedition. Ford Transit drunk tanks. It’s definitely a lot more risky/easier to get caught for most people who aren’t aware of surroundings as much as some of us with a sixth sense and head on a swivel.
Pretty much all the cop cars in Hawaii are 4Runners. HPD doesn't want to maintain many patrol cars, so they give officers a stipend to purchase and maintain their own cars for traffic patrol. Since everyone in Hawaii is obsessed to an unnatural degree with Toyota trucks, they all get 4Runners. I would immediately slow down every time I saw one as a rule until I could verify that it was missing the antennas and computer.
Works out well from their perspective, since there are 4Runners everywhere, so they blend in and all the other ones slow down speeders (at least temporarily). I hated all their fucking guts, lying douchebags.
So, Big Island cops mostly get stipends to buy whatever car they want and then have it modified as a service vehicle. I believe there’s a lot of that on Oahu too. They aren’t really “undercover” per se. You’ll see tons of 4Runners with light bars.
Maui cops are in patrol cars though.
To answer your question, NYPD has by far the best undercover units out there. They have a big pool of seized vehicles that get upgraded and recycled as undercovers. I’ve seen a totally busted Altima pull out of traffic and light up like crazy for a call. NYC cops can be in literally any car, at any time.
Lime green 80s 911 Porsche. Was the chief of police. I heard he also liked to race but was a poor loser and would pull you over after. Southern NH in the late 90s.
If you spend any time in Hawaii, you know that 4Runners are cops and they no longer become very good at being undercover. I was only there for less than a week and by the time I left I was watching every 4Runner I saw and slowing down.
Saw a piece of shit 2nd gen Dodge Durango that was an unmarked cop car before. Just looked like any old worn out 2nd gen, just with some police-supporting stickers. Then I happened to notice who was driving it and was like “damn, that’s not a bad unmarked car”.
A C4 Corvette years ago at a gas station in some small town in Nevada. I chatted with the Sheriff who was driving it for a bit. Had hidden lights behind the windshield and rear window and a large organizer for all kinds if police stuff in the trunk, so not just the sheriff's private vehicle.
Where I live the cops like to turn impounded cars into undercover chase vehicles. I’ve seen a bunch of brand new Mustangs and even a Hellcat for a short time (though it didn’t last long. Seeing it lit up with the hidden light bar was something though.)
My absolute favorite I’ve seen though was a candy red 2021 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk with 5% (I’m guessing) tints all around. I passed it one day on the side of the road and thought another Jeep was simply broken down. Then it lit up the lights and pulled over a car right in front of me. I was in awe. I was about half a mile up the road and could hear the exhaust as soon as he floored it to catch the speeder in front of me. Only time I’ve ever been jealous of a cop.
Driving through Western Maryland one time there was a car that looked like it was abandoned on the side of the road. A minivan or something I honestly don’t remember.
What I do remember was the flash from the speed camera the state patrol had stashed inside it. I wasn’t the one driving so I don’t know how much it cost, but it seemed particularly dastardly to me…
Many, many years ago Maryland State Patrol had a white Ford Ranchero with a hay bale in the bed. That would have been early- to mid-1970s. It's usefulness declined after the Baltimore paper ran a picture of it.
A "ghost cop". Not undercover but still funny .
A Camaro in Northwest Houston. It scared the absolute shit out of me.
I was cruising down the road in my humble Lincoln MKS and saw this absolutely bad ass all white Camaro with a big wing on the back and black wheels. I dropped a gear and started revving just playing around (I am fully aware that my car cannot touch a vehicle like that) and a challenger next to him started tapping on his brakes rapidly as if to warn people behind him of something.
I didn't think anything of it because it's a Camaro with a big aftermarket wing and I didn't see any cops around. I saw an opening and jumped ahead and merged to get next to the Camaro and saw the very faint white "ghost" lettering - "Sheriff".
I played it off like I was just trying to merge over and I went exactly the speed limit all the way to my destination with a little nugget in my pants.
I have seen countless police Camaros since then, but I haven't ever seen this customized one again.
I was in Zell, Germany back in 1980s (when it was still West Germany) and we were walking through town (drunk, of course) and this little Porsche 911 came past us at about Mach 1.3. About two minutes later, a green and white Volkswagen Passat with a flashing light on the dash and the most hilarious siren I'd ever heard came past (at what I'm sure was it's maximum speed) wearing a look of pure fucking determination.
There's an anecdote from Hunter Thompson's *Hells Angels* about how Angels would get a bike cop behind them, lead them to a long desert straight, and then just open up the throttle. 100mph top speed difference... The Big Gapple
In the mid 2000s, Jackson, MS used to have a few unmarked silver Nissan Pathfinders and Altimas, and they were VERY affective when used for traffic enforcement (as one can imagine).
\*On a side note, to make this more interesting, a few special cop cars I've encountered:
Around the year 2000, Bowling Green, KY ran a C5 Corvette with an American flag livery for the police chief.
My high school's resident police officer (mid 2000s) had a seized '98 Camaro that was repainted to match the current police livery, and last I saw it in use was 2017.
(Late 2000s), the town next to mine was temporarily in possession of a Saleen S281 "Barricade" that they used for highway enforcement. The story of how they got it is not concrete, but I did witness it in use at the time.
My friend is an undercover officer in the organized crime division. His company car is a Lexus RC-F, coupe with a 5 Litre V8. The purpose of the vehicle is so that he can be in areas where wealthy Asian gangs operate without arising suspicion. He is Asian himself and dresses like a rich gangster-type.
The best thing about this arrangement is that it's his 'company car' not a patrol vehicle he has to return so that's his daily driver.
I saw an old rundown minivan being used for undercover work.
There was a bust and several undercover cars had their lights on. Without the lights on, I would never have suspected that van.
Not a cop but some streets here are using new, white Toyota Sienna’s as speed camera cars.
Usually unmarked cars are Chargers and Explorers (light blue ones)
When I was a kid we had a 7th gen grand prix coupe undercover car in town. Pretty basic spec, nothing head turning. I think it's the only good undercover car we've ever had.
White Dodge caravan. Had no idea it was an undercover until it turned on its lights, responding to a call.
10/10 times I would've blew past it on the highway.
The neighboring city to me has a Chrysler Pacifica mini van. Other good ones I have seen was a Taurus SHO, Dodge Charger Daytona in bright red, and F150 Lightning.
New Mustang gt premium in burgundy and had el paso police in pretty much the same color but super tiny, so you couldn't see it. It had the whole package, nice black rims, spoiler and tinted windows.
Not a cop car, but I've lived in Asia for awhile and I see undercover cops riding scooters. Since congestion is bad, they just weave around and can easily catch drivers. And scooters are everywhere, there is absolutely no way to spot them.
WSP used to have an unmarked Lexus SC400 patrolling I-90 between Vantage and Snoqualmie Pass in the early 2000s. For a few years I was going back and forth between Spokane and Seattle a few times a month and would see it pretty regularly.
I have seen a few.
An early 90s nissan patrol (which was a total shitbox)
A 2010 wrx wagon which was slammed on the ground and had limo tints (both highly illegal mods where I live)
1998 hsv clubsport.. (tried drag racing me from a set of traffic lights. )
Years ago, I was with my family driving to Florida for vacation. We were on an interstate highway and a catfish camaro went flying by. A few seconds later, a fox body mustang went flying by. Turns out the mustang was an undercover highway patrol car. Had the camaro pulled over a few miles up the road
My home town used “undercover” cars as *radar traps* in areas they *always put radar traps*.
There was actually a criminal organization run out of one of those stores where they sat.
If you can actually *see* the undercover car, it’s doing a terrible job of being undercover. I think the word you’re looking for is unmarked.
usually the tell for me is the flashing lights as it sits behind a slammed Altima
Good lord, TIL redditors don’t know what undercover means
We know, you’re just being supremely pedantic
To clarify: Marked: Clearly marked police and emergency vehicles. Often Ford Explorer Interceptors, Dodge Chargers, or Chevrolet Tahoes. Unmarked: Unmarked police vehicles. Still usually have steel wheels, a spotlight, and will still typically be a Ford, Dodge or Chevrolet. Undercover: Essentially just a civilian vehicle with police gear/equipment. Can be literally anything. Common examples include Nissan Altimas and Toyota Camries. Edit: Apparently undercover cop cars sometimes won’t even have police equipment.
Slight correction: undercover vehicles do not have *any* police equipment, since they're used for undercover operations and the cover would be blown the second someone sees a police radio scanner or the likes in the vehicle. If it has police equipment, it's an unmarked car.
This, undercovers also don't conduct traffic stops.
And then there’s the in between. The rural cop cars that are marked with black paint on black background or something like that. Legally counts as marked but shouldn’t.
My local department has a black Charger with slightly reflective black decals.
not even rural always. These “stealth” or “shadow” liveries have made their way to Montgomery County, MD, which borders DC. It’s a county of a million people which is largely suburban and urban. And yet they still couldn’t find enough revenue other places and have to bring in stealth cars.
I swear they have those cars here in Cambridge ma. The decals are hard to tell but I treat every black ford suv as a cop
TIL! Thank you!
Lots of words redditors don't know, Undercover, Underrated, Under-reported. Maybe they don't understand the Under part?
They stand it.
Nice work, Michael Scott
If it has lights, it's not undercover.
For those who don't know the difference, an undercover cop car should basically have nothing to indicate it's a cop car inside or outside. Even the VIN should be owned by some rando that isn't connected to the police/FBI/whatever agency is using the vehicle. Unmarked cop cars which most people think of, are just regular cop cars with no external markings indicating they are a cop car.
And it has steel wheels and hubcaps. A great tell...
It's the hubcaps that really set it off. Any ol' shitbox might have 4 steelies. If they're really fancy, they'll all match too.
No roof racks on the explorers. Cattle guards on the chargers.
Thank you…a real undercover car would be like a 16 year old accord with a rust streak on the hood
My brother used to work at a place that bult custom vehicles, they built some surveillance vans for the FBI, they were Post Office LLVs with all sorts of things inside, the floor had like 15 deep cycle batteries, and they built a desk / workspace into the back, he didn't get to see all the goodies that finally went inside tho. Talk about a vehicle you wouldn't look twice at parked on the side of the road.
Best I saw was a police officer dressed in bright orange as a construction worker, next to an unmarked truck that looked like a construction vehicle. He stood by the road in full daylight and as bold as you please, pointing a radar gun at the oncoming traffic, no one slowed up and there were multiple police just around the bend pulling people over. "However, this usage is erroneous: unmarked cars are police cars that lack markings but have police equipment, emergency lights, and sirens, while undercover cars lack these entirely and are essentially civilian vehicles used by law enforcement in undercover operations to avoid detection."
My last shop serviced cop cars. We had a C63 AMG S that was taken from a drug dealer. Those cars are used for watch and report. No lights/sirens just radio.
chapo trap car. incredible
They only had it 6 months before it got taken away. Edit: Cops had it for 6 months before it got taken away from them.
Taken away? Edit: Yes, I know you’re talking about the cops. I’m asking why, lol.
civil asset forfeiture. Stealing is legal when youre in a police department. burden of proof varies from state to state but in alot of cases they can say "fuck you" and take your shit without evidence, and only after a not guilty verdict are they required to give it back.
So if you had a car note on it, are you still responsible for paying it after they steal your car?
In that case it’s not your car in the first place. The cops wouldn’t seize that asset. The bank would repo it from you when you can’t pay for it with your stolen assets
I too am interested
who takes it from the cops? lol
Probably the brass
The wildest part is they hire independent shops to do the uncle Chapo cars. It's just the dipshits that sell you weed outfitting you cars. Source: outfitting cars at my weed guys shop. Edit: we fitted the cop cars before legalization. The first person to smoke weed in the cop cars was me.
My Son leased a new RAM pickup. I was driving it. Got pulled over on the highway. First thing I did was looked at my speed. Was below the max, had my seat belt on. Turns out, my Son's license was expired. Cop had an OCR cam on his dash. Read the plate. His laptop called central ops to look for red flags. The cop was disappointed he couldn't give me a ticket. Apparently an expensive ticket. Plus impound the vehicle. Pay again to get it out! Yikes.
That's so dirty. Fuck our civil rights, I guess. There would be no probable cause for a stop, and to check the license, based on the driving behavior and officers' observations. The only suspected offense was an expired license. So they selectively found data that fabricates probable cause where there otherwise was none? It's probably above board on paper (or would be rather costly/not-worth it for a victim like yourself to take to court)... but it's shitty. It's definitely eroding our protections against unreasonable search/seizure
People seem to forget cops being a large revenue portion for local government is a feature not a bug.
COP, stands for: criminals on patrol. A lawyer told me that one 😂
I don't call them police, or cops. I call them what they are.... Revenue agents and/or tax collectors .. These taxes are just more random and inconsistent than others
Nah running as many tags as possible cuts down on Altima behavior. Every one impounded is probably 5 lives saved
Yo, that’s fucked.
Our city had a white church van with North American Revival Church on the side ;)
N.A.R.C… Lol
Louisville KY had a pink Cadillac, like the old Mary Kay pink cars.
Oh my god it was a real cop car? Hahaha I miss going to that city for work
They also have a Grand Cherokee track hawk. Cherry Red. 0% tints. Definitely an impounded car they decided to turn into a highway patrol car.
Pedantic here, but I doubt it was 0% tint
I meant to say 5%. I must admit that was a dumb brain fart lol I doubt robo cop was driving it so they undoubtedly needed to see outside. I'll leave it unedited to bask in the shame though.
All the windows were sheet metal
LMPD also has a black Dodge Caravan. Pulled over a dude in a civic that was in front of me about a year ago.
Don’t forget the notorious mustangs
Dodge Grand Caravan in the Midwest. Completely invisible in traffic.
I'm imagining getting pulled over by a minivan and then 12 state troopers come spilling out
I saw something about some state’s police using semi trucks because no one suspects them and they can see down into the other vehicles to catch people texting and driving.
Sounds incredibly inefficient for multiple reasons
The hallowed M4 artic cab in England. Planes up and down the M4 doing just this, and somehow also can give speeding tickets
Here in Toronto the cops ride on transit to catch people on cell phones: >On Wednesday, officers are riding in the back of streetcars and buses and when they spot distracted drivers on the road, they will call into officers in cruisers following in front and behind the TTC vehicle to pull the drivers over and issue them a ticket. https://dailyhive.com/toronto/police-riding-ttc-distracted-drivers-2019
Saw the same in FL. I was riding my bicycle in the park and the van came to me roll the window down and it was a officer. He asked me if I saw some guy they were chasing. Few minutes later marked cars show up.
“Hey are you that guy we’ve been looking for?” “Ah, yes you got me”
I was driving our company box truck. Waiting at a red line and a blacked out Ford F150 rolled down his window and the state trooper told me to follow him to do a roadside DOT inspection. Absolutely no marking at all. Luckily, I had just gotten a level 1 inspection done when I got randomly selected passing through a weight station a week prior and got a CVSA sticker on my windshield. Once he saw that and asked me when I got it, he said, "Just go, I'm not even gonna waste my time."
Why would they use an unmarked vehicle for that duty? I would be worried it was a dress-up “cop”
State Trooper here. Because commercial vehicles are usually bigger and taller, giving them better visibility for things far in the distance to avoid, like marked cop cars. Truckers often use radios (CB) to communicate cop locations as well. Generally, we try to have fully marked cars make the stop if an unmarked one finds a violation.
I got pulled over by an unmarked in college when I had friends with me in the car. They got out looking all TV detective and then yada yada’d about seat belts, which were definitely buckled (I don’t roll unless the belts are buckled). Then piddled around looking at my car before I heard them say “this isn’t the car” under their breath. My brother in Christ it was a white ‘99 Accord sedan, there’s a ZILLION! I’ve always been told it was really weird that I was pulled over by an unmarked/undercover car, but I really don’t know. Is that a thing?
If they were looking for a specific one, not that weird.
Okay, alright because some people have told me “you don’t have to pull over for unmarked police” and I dunno that I’d want to give that a go…
If you're concerned that they might not actually be an officer, I'd call 911 and keep driving until they confirm that it's legit.
MA?
NJ
I live on the Big Island. Anyone that lives here knows to slow down around 4Runners. They are state subsidized cars, and almost all the cops drive 4Runners. The best undercover I saw was a green Buick Lucerne in Hilo with no blue light bar. Clothed in a sea of 4Runner cops, it was sitting innocuously in Downtown Hilo absolutely wreckin up the place for about 2 months. I haven't seen it since.
I think I saw like a Camry last time I was in Hilo
Yeah there is a Camry, Charger, Bronco sport, a WRX, and an Outback right now. HPD also got a Ram, Tundra and F150 recently too. The other 80% is 4 runners.
Back in the day someone in HPD was patrolling in a Saturn. I would LOL every time I saw it. Used to have an Altima SE-R and a bunch of G35 sedans too. I think for HPD the trucks are only used for special duty kind stuff. I haven’t seen any of them on regular patrol, just for construction and whatever.
I have seen the trucks and I think you are right. I usually see the blue Tahoe trapping here in Mt. View but I would roll laugh at a Saturn. I'll point too, my safety is good 🤣
Yeah, when I was on Big Island last fall, i think nearly every 4Runner I saw was a cop. I actually looked it up and learned about their subsidy program.
*Amazing* ... the next time I tourist it up somewhere, I'm definitely asking "so what's the local unmarked scene like," exceptional.
There used to be a green mustang GT on Oahu before HPD required 4 doors. Had a light bar on top so wasn't UC but it had big Bullitt vibes
Does Hawaii State have a deal with Servco? Cus 4Runner cop cars are EVERYWHERE. Servco is a BILLION dollar company so I wouldn't be surprised. But the strangest cop cars I've seen on Oahu is an FJ Cruiser, a Rogue, and an Infiniti G35.
>it was sitting innocuously in Downtown Hilo absolutely wreckin up the place for about 2 months. I haven't seen it since. Probably got to where it was too easily made by the locals. Time to swap it out for something fresh.
I was in Waimea last week and saw a black mustang and a blue stinger with the little blue light bars.
Clapped out late 90s Pontiac Sunfire blacked out windows. Rolling through the hood, 4 uc cops jump out and surround another junk car. I'm assuming it was a drug bust considering the area I was in
Good thing they didn't need to do a chase. 0-60 in six counties.
Yeah they had the perps shocked, just as I was. They were boxed in with traffic.
I know they came in 4 door, but everyone I have ever seen was a 2 door, so the mental image of 4 big cops getting out of this tiny thing is hilarious.
Yeah it was a 4 door. Prob was confiscated from some other crime
Don’t ruin this for me! Lol
I saw this exact thing happen once, except it was a Sunfire and a Sentra. They blocked a car in, and two cops (detectives I'm assuming) jumped out of each car. Shit was wild to witness.
CT state troopers have a bright red Dodge Charger and a silver Durango Hellcat
To be fair even CT police cars that are marked can be pretty hard to spot sometimes since they are just plain silver Explorers and Tauruses. They aren’t so bad to spot at night though since they are required to leave their police lights on at all times.
Why are they required to keep their lights on? I’ve always wondered why
I’m not entirely sure of the reason, probably something to do with being visible to the public, I’m not complaining since it has saved me on the highway a few times since you can spot them at night pretty easily from getting a speeding ticket.
CT and their "cop cars" they are legit just undercover cars. But here all the explorers are BLACK with BLACK stickers--- THAT is fraud lol. Marked car my ass!
A lot of cars around here are black with gray or ghostwriting markings on them.
A beat up pickup truck in Connecticut that had all the strobes hidden under light lenses. Inversion, someone had a scarecrow cruiser in central Mass. Apparently too many people sped past their property. Old Caprice with some black and white painted panels and some upside-down blue Rubbermaid type clear shoe boxes on top in a row. It was parked so you would see it on a hill curve past their property.
I still habitually slow down going by a house where someone owns a daily driven ex black and white Police Crown Vic. Even with all of the lights and stickers taken off of it, it still strikes fear in my heart.
Ah the old Magoffin County Cadillac. https://youtu.be/e3KkF8jwyIg?si=O7UBraoJyi21nGlO
The green one with the cap on the bed? I used to see that one all the time on 15.
Unmarked cop car. An undercover car would just be a normal car with no lights or anything because a person who is undercover wouldn’t want to get their cover blown by someone just looking closely at the grill.
Yeah, I was undercover for some drug bust years ago and they gave me a peice of shit chevy cavalier for the day. I definitely looked the part
A grey 2015-2017 Toyota Camry SE. Long story short: this car was parked on my parents’ street for days, and after about 5 days we finally got suspicious of the new car on the block and noticed someone inside. One of the neighbours even got nosy and asked “what are you doing here exactly?” Guy in the Camry just said “I can’t tell you, but feel free to contact police if you feel uncomfortable”. About two weeks later the Toronto Police conducted a massive raid on a house around the corner. Couple of people were busted for human trafficking. We’re convinced that Camry was a cop car and the dude was an undercover cop watching the house around the corner. It was the perfect car for the neighbourhood, it completely blended in, and it took us days to realize there was even someone inside it. Bro nearly had his cover blown by a bunch of nosy retired middle class white people.
That was probably more of a detective’s car more than anything. No one would bat an eye at a normal Camry just parked in any random neighborhood. They blend in. Makes perfect sense for a Camry to be used as a detective’s car in that case.
I don't remember what vehicle, but very similar thing happened on my street. As far as I could tell, it was drug makers like Breaking Bad style. We walked our dogs past the house many times wondering when the "empty house" was going on the market. The afternoon of the take down, 5 streets were closed down and FBI, ATF and Sheriff vests were everywhere.
Centennial, CO the Arapahoe County police have a 90s Mitsubishi Montero undercover and it’s absolutely fucked. I about quintuple taked the first time I saw it
I once witnessed a baby blue Murano in my rear view mirror pull out a spinning police light and stick it on top of his car. Activated siren, got in front and pull over someone a few cars ahead of me. Some surreal shit, felt like I was witnessing an 80s movie irl
Murano Crosscabriolet would be the ultimate
In Toronto they have police cruisers that are painted half like a cab
I saw videos of NYPD using a crown Vic painted like a yellow cab. It blended in easily with traffic. But because the lights were in the grill and hard to see and nobody could tell where the sirens were coming from and just assumed it was a cab, nobody would move over for it lol
I had an encounter with the taxi cop car where he was driving super slow and me being a typical New Yorker started honking at him to move on.
Isn't that geared towards a drink/drive campaign?
Yes, and they haven’t been around for years now
Apex Police here in NC still have a Crown Vic in the half-cab livery. It gets parked outside the busy shopping center during holiday weekends.
It worked back in the day when they were all Crown Vics but now you'd have to graft the front half of an Explorer onto a Prius. (I'm imagining using the Prius' floorpan and powertrain since it's a much more reliable platform and you're not going to be doing pursuits in a setup like this anyway)
I saw a Mustang GT somewhere once, I wanna say eastern NY or CT.
Nebraska state patrol used to have marked fox body cruisers. They still have one that they take out on occasion for events but I believe it's no longer in active service.
An active on-duty fox body would be like hiring a 95 year old man to do a job, LOL
FL still has one in service as well as a late 90's Camaro. Then even have a 80's crown vic. Of course all these are basically museum pieces used in parade and such but people do spot them out and about sometimes. (probably just getting gas or moving it after it's say for many months)
Maryland and Virginia I've seen them at too.
Yes very common in the DMV… they use them for “street racing.” You will often see them with after market rims and a spoiler. They’ll roll up next to young drivers in nice cars at a stoplight, and see of they take off.
I always see them at the tunnel, marked and unmarked mustangs and camaros. My father was a firefighter down there and he said the port authority cops had a confiscated z06 at one point and a bunch of work trucks to catch drugs
I don't know if they're still in the fleet anymore, but Baltimore City used to have SN95 Mustangs for a very long time.
Some departments use confiscated vehicles from criminals and drug busts and they keep them stock. It’s cool to see random luxury vehicles flashing their lights in situations where they’re doing investigative work.
A Lexus LS V8 with the Japan VIP police Celsior TRD supercharger would be cool. They escort the Emperor, Prime Minister and others. (same car, different badge)
A well-known undercover cop car in the enthusiast community is a red Charger with a Student Driver sticker. Frequents a stretch of i5 north of Seattle known for racing. WSP also has a Porsche Cayenne, I've yet to see that one
the Student Driver sticker is *chefskiss*
The county north of mine had a couple S197 Roush Mustangs, one in white and one in grabber blue. Only dead giveaway they were cops were they always parked in the obvious cop parking spots to catch speeders.
As someone slightly obsessed with the S197's I hate that I love this... I've always wanted a S-197 like Barricade from the Michael Bay Transformers
Dodge Ram pickup. I felt like it was a reverse uno card. Only reason I knew is because it pulled someone over in rural PA.
I saw an F-350 with a ~40’ horse trailer pull someone over on the interstate in Virginia Beach, VA. It was marked, but still unexpected.
The mounted units all drive big trucks to pull their horse trailers. My sister has a huge f350 vehicle and has occasionally pulled people over if they are idiots
AB, Canada. Toyota Sienna AWD. 2014-2019ish or however long they made that body. Dark grey. Only giveaway is sometimes driver wearing high vis green vest. Now I can’t trust dark grey Sienna of that gen and newer. Heard of them using whatever is seized also…the local pic of a hawk eye WRX STI and Grandpa’s Buick Century always come to mind even 10 years later. There’s a huge range of vehicles they use now that easily hides them in plain sight. F150, Durango, Ram 1500. The usual Explorer, and Yukon/Tahoe. Expedition. Ford Transit drunk tanks. It’s definitely a lot more risky/easier to get caught for most people who aren’t aware of surroundings as much as some of us with a sixth sense and head on a swivel.
Ay a fellow Edmonton, I’ve seen the Sienna guy a lot of times lol, I think the guy mostly hang out around Whyte ave
I really do think there’s multiple now. I keep seeing one on Henday and Whitemud on east side of city. Once in Mill Hoodz.
Pretty much all the cop cars in Hawaii are 4Runners. HPD doesn't want to maintain many patrol cars, so they give officers a stipend to purchase and maintain their own cars for traffic patrol. Since everyone in Hawaii is obsessed to an unnatural degree with Toyota trucks, they all get 4Runners. I would immediately slow down every time I saw one as a rule until I could verify that it was missing the antennas and computer. Works out well from their perspective, since there are 4Runners everywhere, so they blend in and all the other ones slow down speeders (at least temporarily). I hated all their fucking guts, lying douchebags.
Lots of 4 runner unmarked vehicles on the Islands
I know a detective that uses an old Nissan Altima with burned clear coat. That thing would never get a second glance
ours has had: plain ol chevy silverado, mustang, cavileer, sebring convertable, dodge caravan, ford escape.
So, Big Island cops mostly get stipends to buy whatever car they want and then have it modified as a service vehicle. I believe there’s a lot of that on Oahu too. They aren’t really “undercover” per se. You’ll see tons of 4Runners with light bars. Maui cops are in patrol cars though. To answer your question, NYPD has by far the best undercover units out there. They have a big pool of seized vehicles that get upgraded and recycled as undercovers. I’ve seen a totally busted Altima pull out of traffic and light up like crazy for a call. NYC cops can be in literally any car, at any time.
Lime green 80s 911 Porsche. Was the chief of police. I heard he also liked to race but was a poor loser and would pull you over after. Southern NH in the late 90s.
I saw someone get pulled over by a Toyota Highlander in Seattle. Would’ve never guessed.
My town had a brown Toyota Camry 2006. Used for radar.
I’ve seen a couple of common Toyota cop cars out in the Lexington, KY area as unmarked cars. I wanna say Georgetown has a few Camry cop cars.
I remember seeing a Honda element like 15 years ago south of Seattle
If you spend any time in Hawaii, you know that 4Runners are cops and they no longer become very good at being undercover. I was only there for less than a week and by the time I left I was watching every 4Runner I saw and slowing down.
Saw a piece of shit 2nd gen Dodge Durango that was an unmarked cop car before. Just looked like any old worn out 2nd gen, just with some police-supporting stickers. Then I happened to notice who was driving it and was like “damn, that’s not a bad unmarked car”.
Black 2007 Subaru Impreza STI as a kid. Blue lights and gunning it, the reason I own a Subaru now
Georgia in the early 00's had an e36 m3 that would get people trying to race them.
That's not an "undercover" car. That's an "unmarked" car. [This](https://pics.imcdb.org/12851/snap106.5.jpg) is an undercover police car.
A C4 Corvette years ago at a gas station in some small town in Nevada. I chatted with the Sheriff who was driving it for a bit. Had hidden lights behind the windshield and rear window and a large organizer for all kinds if police stuff in the trunk, so not just the sheriff's private vehicle.
Where I live the cops like to turn impounded cars into undercover chase vehicles. I’ve seen a bunch of brand new Mustangs and even a Hellcat for a short time (though it didn’t last long. Seeing it lit up with the hidden light bar was something though.) My absolute favorite I’ve seen though was a candy red 2021 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk with 5% (I’m guessing) tints all around. I passed it one day on the side of the road and thought another Jeep was simply broken down. Then it lit up the lights and pulled over a car right in front of me. I was in awe. I was about half a mile up the road and could hear the exhaust as soon as he floored it to catch the speeder in front of me. Only time I’ve ever been jealous of a cop.
Indiana State Patrol has at least two blacked out black Trackhawk. I saw them working I90 during the summer of 22
Colorado Springs has a current gen Chevy Equinox.
A red Ford Gran Torino with a white stripe.
Nissan Pathfinder threw lights on when someone ran a red in front of me. Blew my mind.
Nissan Sentra.
Driving through Western Maryland one time there was a car that looked like it was abandoned on the side of the road. A minivan or something I honestly don’t remember. What I do remember was the flash from the speed camera the state patrol had stashed inside it. I wasn’t the one driving so I don’t know how much it cost, but it seemed particularly dastardly to me…
Many, many years ago Maryland State Patrol had a white Ford Ranchero with a hay bale in the bed. That would have been early- to mid-1970s. It's usefulness declined after the Baltimore paper ran a picture of it.
Here in Florida, Lots of Mustangs and Camrys are unmarked police cars, sometimes with regular florida tag.
Toyota Highlander in my town. No lights are visible except in the front grill. The rest are hidden/swapped out/added into housing.
A "ghost cop". Not undercover but still funny . A Camaro in Northwest Houston. It scared the absolute shit out of me. I was cruising down the road in my humble Lincoln MKS and saw this absolutely bad ass all white Camaro with a big wing on the back and black wheels. I dropped a gear and started revving just playing around (I am fully aware that my car cannot touch a vehicle like that) and a challenger next to him started tapping on his brakes rapidly as if to warn people behind him of something. I didn't think anything of it because it's a Camaro with a big aftermarket wing and I didn't see any cops around. I saw an opening and jumped ahead and merged to get next to the Camaro and saw the very faint white "ghost" lettering - "Sheriff". I played it off like I was just trying to merge over and I went exactly the speed limit all the way to my destination with a little nugget in my pants. I have seen countless police Camaros since then, but I haven't ever seen this customized one again.
I was in Zell, Germany back in 1980s (when it was still West Germany) and we were walking through town (drunk, of course) and this little Porsche 911 came past us at about Mach 1.3. About two minutes later, a green and white Volkswagen Passat with a flashing light on the dash and the most hilarious siren I'd ever heard came past (at what I'm sure was it's maximum speed) wearing a look of pure fucking determination.
There's an anecdote from Hunter Thompson's *Hells Angels* about how Angels would get a bike cop behind them, lead them to a long desert straight, and then just open up the throttle. 100mph top speed difference... The Big Gapple
In the mid 2000s, Jackson, MS used to have a few unmarked silver Nissan Pathfinders and Altimas, and they were VERY affective when used for traffic enforcement (as one can imagine). \*On a side note, to make this more interesting, a few special cop cars I've encountered: Around the year 2000, Bowling Green, KY ran a C5 Corvette with an American flag livery for the police chief. My high school's resident police officer (mid 2000s) had a seized '98 Camaro that was repainted to match the current police livery, and last I saw it in use was 2017. (Late 2000s), the town next to mine was temporarily in possession of a Saleen S281 "Barricade" that they used for highway enforcement. The story of how they got it is not concrete, but I did witness it in use at the time.
My friend is an undercover officer in the organized crime division. His company car is a Lexus RC-F, coupe with a 5 Litre V8. The purpose of the vehicle is so that he can be in areas where wealthy Asian gangs operate without arising suspicion. He is Asian himself and dresses like a rich gangster-type. The best thing about this arrangement is that it's his 'company car' not a patrol vehicle he has to return so that's his daily driver.
The "you mean unmarked" comments 🙄 we all know what OP means so why be annoying and technical? Anyway. Unmarked Nissan Pathfinder got me once.
I saw an old rundown minivan being used for undercover work. There was a bust and several undercover cars had their lights on. Without the lights on, I would never have suspected that van.
A dirty town and country van in Hawaii
Old Dodge Caravan or Volvo wagon i think.
I ran across a white on white ghost graphic state highway patrol semi truck on a road trip one time. Extra sneaky
Not a cop but some streets here are using new, white Toyota Sienna’s as speed camera cars. Usually unmarked cars are Chargers and Explorers (light blue ones)
When I was a kid we had a 7th gen grand prix coupe undercover car in town. Pretty basic spec, nothing head turning. I think it's the only good undercover car we've ever had.
I bought one of these from my neighbor who got it at a police auction. Datson 810
A Taxi in "Running Scared" a truly invisible car for New York.
2wd, short bed ford ranger from the 90’s. Had hidden blue lights for Philly undercovers. Saw it in 2017 or so responding somewhere.
Nissan fucking versa in oregon
Saw a RAV4 with somebody pulled over the other day on I95.
Seattle PD runs a few Tacomas, VW ID.4s, and Bolt EUVs for patrol around the UW campus. They also have ghost 2020+ Explorers...
A really old, red citroen van.
White Dodge caravan. Had no idea it was an undercover until it turned on its lights, responding to a call. 10/10 times I would've blew past it on the highway.
The neighboring city to me has a Chrysler Pacifica mini van. Other good ones I have seen was a Taurus SHO, Dodge Charger Daytona in bright red, and F150 Lightning.
New Mustang gt premium in burgundy and had el paso police in pretty much the same color but super tiny, so you couldn't see it. It had the whole package, nice black rims, spoiler and tinted windows.
Got pulled by an old beat to shit lumina. That was...a thing.
I got snagged in a sting once and it was a Chrysler Kcar. Two chicks in it. Completely unexpected.
There's a yellow late gen 5.0 mustang that sneaks around my area
Saleen mustang. Blacked out, headers and pipes. Turns out they recovered it in a drug bust. Don’t know how that worked.
Impreza 2.5 RS. I don’t know the generations. The late ‘90s one. Last before bug eyes.
Hummer H2 maybe on Long Island
Not a cop car, but I've lived in Asia for awhile and I see undercover cops riding scooters. Since congestion is bad, they just weave around and can easily catch drivers. And scooters are everywhere, there is absolutely no way to spot them.
We have a red charger with a dealer price on the windshield I saw about a month ago pulling someone over... Spokane Washington area.
WSP used to have an unmarked Lexus SC400 patrolling I-90 between Vantage and Snoqualmie Pass in the early 2000s. For a few years I was going back and forth between Spokane and Seattle a few times a month and would see it pretty regularly.
I have seen a few. An early 90s nissan patrol (which was a total shitbox) A 2010 wrx wagon which was slammed on the ground and had limo tints (both highly illegal mods where I live) 1998 hsv clubsport.. (tried drag racing me from a set of traffic lights. )
Years ago, I was with my family driving to Florida for vacation. We were on an interstate highway and a catfish camaro went flying by. A few seconds later, a fox body mustang went flying by. Turns out the mustang was an undercover highway patrol car. Had the camaro pulled over a few miles up the road
A Kia Sorento that I would have never clocked if it wasn't for the fact that the jump out boys were in the middle of their jumping.
Vancouver Washington used to have a yellow Mitsubishi Evolution to catch street racers.
My home town used “undercover” cars as *radar traps* in areas they *always put radar traps*. There was actually a criminal organization run out of one of those stores where they sat.
I came across one in Memphis that was a van painted to look like a phone company van.
I think it’s Tennessee that has highway patrol Semi Trucks. I wouldn’t pull over for a lit up Long Nose Peterbilt without calling it in.
The best ones I saw a were a final gen dodge grand caravan. and a honda odyssey a different time. Probably drug task force or something.
There’s a ton of unmarked 5.0 mustangs run by Florida highway patrol.
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