Why do police have black cars?

Florida Law Regarding Unmarked Police Vehicles

Most drivers and pedestrians can spot a police car from a mile away by its black and white paint, bold font, and trademark red and blue emergency lights. But there are some police cars that don’t have these distinctive characteristics, making it easier for drivers to miss them sitting on the side of the road or highway.

If an unmarked car tries to pull you over, some drivers get nervous because they’re not sure if it’s an official police car.

What is an unmarked vehicle?

An unmarked vehicle is an official police car with no distinguishing colors or emblems but still outfitted with emergency equipment, such as lights and a siren. The Florida Highway Patrol permits the use of unmarked vehicles within certain guidelines.

Can you get pulled over by an unmarked vehicle in Florida?

If a Florida policeman is in an unmarked vehicle and they see a car going several miles over the speed limit, then it is legal for them to pull over that driver. Selective speeding enforcement, truck enforcement, aggressive driving, and intersection enforcement are all legal reasons for an unmarked police vehicle to pull over a driver, according to Florida law.

What should drivers do if an unmarked vehicle tries to pull them over?

Quite a bit of suspicion often surrounds unmarked police vehicles because drivers are afraid of the possibility that it might not be an actual police officer. Red and blue car lights are easily purchased, and people have used these in the past to pull over drivers and rob or assault them.

If you’re unsure if the unmarked vehicle is a real policeman, the first thing you should do is try finding a well-lit and busy area to pull into. Never pull over into a secluded or dark area as this makes it more difficult to see if it’s a real police officer or someone attempting to rob you.

When to call 911

As soon as you’re able to safely pull over, you should call 911 and notify the dispatcher that you have been pulled over by an unmarked vehicle. If your car is equipped with the ability to make a phone call without physically reaching for a cell phone, consider calling 911 before pulling over.

Florida drivers should be sure to note the make, model, and license plate, if possible, to give to the dispatcher so that they can track the car that pulled the driver over. If the unmarked vehicle is legitimate, then it’s safe for you to stay where you are and wait for the dispatcher to give further instructions.

If the vehicle is not a registered police car, then the dispatcher can have help sent to you. Remember that it’s important to remain calm any time a vehicle tries to pull you over and to call the necessary authorities when it’s safe to do so.

George Lorenzo has been practicing law for nearly 30 years. He is a co-founder of Lorenzo & Lorenzo, a Tampa, FL personal injury law, specializing in auto accident cases and more.

8 Top Tips To Spot An Undercover Police Car

We have a hidden ‘enemy’ on the roads in the UK and it seems to be getting worse and worse. I am constantly surprised by the variety of undercover police cars there are on the streets. For anyone who doesn’t know, an undercover police car is literally a police car without any features which openly show it is a police car rather than just a fellow road user.

In this blog post I will try and give you some great tips to spot one (I am not saying speeding is ok, of course the best way to avoid undercover police is by following all the rules and regulations of the road).

1) Police car list

The first and most useful tip is a quick list of the most popular ‘undercover’ police cars out there on the UK streets
-Skoda Octavia VRS’s or standard
-Any Volvo
-BMW 3,5, X5s
-Hyundai Ix35
-Audi A3,A4, A6, Q5
-Jaguar XF

(These are the main culprits but of course some different areas have different cars…I know that London has E class Mercs, Mini Coopers)

2) Clean cars

Police tend to have to keep their cars spotless, again this is not fool proof because police can do a lot of miles in a day to get their car mucky again but it’s good to keep an eye out for strangely clean but normal looking cars.

3) Normal Number plates

If the car you’re suspicious of has a personalised number plate, ignore it because police won’t have the budget or the need to change their number plates.

4) 2 people in the car

Undercover police officers rarely travel alone, therefore if the car in question has 2 people in it, it should automatically go up in suspicion.

5) Strange grey panels by the headrests or in the front grill

Now these could easily be mistaken for anti crash technology panels in the grill but they are usually glossy. If you see matt grey panels these are probably police lights! Spot these = Slow down

6) Driving stereotypes

This is the way I trust most. Is the driver driving like the type of person who buys that car? Ok that might have made no sense. For example is the Audi driver tailgating? Or is the BMW going fast and weaving between traffic? If the BMW or Audi is hovering on the slow lane following road rules and regulations then they are far more likely to be an undercover chariot, again like the other rules this is of course not absolute but it should raise your eyebrows. (These are of course stereotypes)

7) A busy dash or bright interior lights

These are a great police car warning because police need all sorts of interior computers which will naturally emit a lot of light in the night. And in the day it will be easier to see black equipment hanging below the rear view mirror or peaking over the dash.

8) Ignore all the points if you’re in London! Why? The video below will explain it to you

In London it seems police can have whatever car they want as their undercover but then again it’s impossible to speed or do anything in London anyways because of all the cameras!

This content was originally posted by a Car Throttle user on our Community platform and was not commissioned or created by the CT editorial team.

How to Spot Undercover Cops and Unmarked Police Cars

It’s hard to recognize undercover cops, but there are some tells.

Published January 5, 2022
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Officers and agents will hide who they are for all kinds of reasons, from catching speeders to infiltrating extremist political groups to prevent the kidnappings of state governors . It’s often hard to recognize undercover cops, but there are some tells, so here’s a rough guide to recognizing cops dressed as civilians and cop cars dressed as regular cars.

Your local police department probably doesn’t advertise which kinds of cars and disguises they use for undercover or unmarked police work. I reached out to the LAPD to discuss with them, but of course they responded, “ We do not disclose any tactics information and those questions fall under that category,” so any information about how to spot incognito cops isn’t going to be “official,” obviously.

The difference between “plainclothes” and “undercover” cops, and “unmarked” and “undercover” cars

Plainclothes law enforcement agents and undercover law enforcement agents are two different things. Plainclothes cops are any that don’t wear a traditional uniform—detectives, other kinds of investigators, and officers working in administrative roles. This covers basically any officer who is not out in public, answering calls. They aren’t necessarily hiding their status as police, even if they aren’t exactly advertising it.

Undercover cops, though, are actively hiding their police affiliation. They are often part of larger investigations that could involve infiltrating criminal organizations or blending into the crowd at a protest.

A similar distinction applies to “unmarked” police vehicles and “undercover” police vehicles. The first is any law enforcement vehicle that isn’t outwardly marked with its department. It could include everything from cars designed to enforce traffic laws with stealth, to cars that detectives drive while investigating crimes or picking up doughnuts. These cars often have indications that they are law enforcement vehicles, even if they are subtle. An undercover vehicle will have no indication of it being a police car—even if you looked in the glovebox, you’d find regular car insurance and registration information.

How to spot an unmarked police car

There are roughly 18,000 police agencies in the United States, and they use all kinds of vehicles for all kinds of purposes, from Dodge Chargers meant to catch speeders to police semi-trucks in Florida , to public relations vehicles like this hot-pink breast cancer awareness Explorer my local 5-0 have been driving lately. So spotting an unmarked police vehicle is a crapshoot, but there are some characteristics that might tip you off to an unmarked police cruiser.

The license plates

Unmarked police cars might sport municipal or exempt tags, but they don’t necessarily have to outwardly indicate their status on their plates. They might also be missing the registration stickers that some states require. This varies depending on the department. It’s not going to matter much when they’re pulling you over anyway.

The make and model

It used to be easier to spot an unmarked police car—just look for the black Crown Victoria—but these days, police officers could be driving anything from pick-up trucks to federal government subsidized mini-tanks . Still, the most popular police vehicles overall in the United States and Canada are :

• 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

It’s fair to assume that these five kinds of cars are the ones police are most likely to be driving around unmarked.

Certain police equipment

Unmarked police car often sport the same kind of extra gear that regular police cars have. That can mean lights on the grill or side-mirrors, dark tints on the windows, and a cage-like “push bumper” over the front bumper. Older cop cars might have a ton of antennae as well, although technology has generally made these kind of arrays unnecessary.

Nowadays, it’s pretty hard to spot an uncover police car

Barring a terrible undercover officer, law-abiding citizens probably aren’t going to spot an undercover police car. These vehicles are chosen specifically to fit in with whatever operation is being run. They could be literally anything, from high-priced super-cars to barely running beaters.

How to spot an undercover cop

According to this paper published by the Stanford Law Review , police generally engage in undercover operations when they are investigating crimes that involve “secretive, complex, and consensual activities.” Crimes like the manufacturer of meth, bribery, and dogfighting. Cops infiltrate political demonstrations and organizations too—maybe to provide unobtrusive protection in a situation where a uniform would cause anger or maybe to act as agent provocateurs —it depends on who you ask.

Infiltrators of political events or organizations might be experienced and talented super-cops in deep cover, or they might be these fake Hasidic Jews who weren’t fooling anyone. There are many tales of activists reporting obvious cops attending protests . Here are some tips for how you might spot them.

• Odd-couples: There’s a reason so many buddy-cop movies are based on partners who are opposites—it actually happens. So if you see a couple of people who don’t look like they should be together, say with a big age or cultural difference between them, it could indicate narcs in the ranks.
• Awkward andout-of-place: It’s definitely not foolproof, but an out-of-context looking person—say a crew-cut 40 year old standing around at a heavy metal show—could be a law enforcement officer. (Or they could be an old guy who likes loud music.)
• Inappropriate questions: Keep your guard up when talking to strangers in a situation that might draw undercover cops. If the new guy at the political meeting starts asking when the bomb-throwing starts, he might be a cop. Or he might be discouraging bomb-throwing. It’s pretty murky.

You can also pay attention to how they look. None of these outward signs are surefire cop-indicators, but they should cause you to put your guard up a bit:

• Haircuts: Cops often have more exacting grooming standards than regular people, so a careful, short haircut could be a sign of undercover police.
• Sports hoodies: Some activists report that cops like wearing sports-oriented hoodies to protests where hardcore protesters generally don’t advertise their love of the Yankees through their clothing.
• Cargo pants: Cops need to carry a bunch of equipment, and so often sport cargo style shorts with lots of pockets for night-sticks and tasers.
• Shoes: Look out for hiking boots or military-style shoes, especially if paired with the aforementioned sports-themed jersey, a look only a cop would love.

The problem with trying to spot undercover cops

This post is for informational purposes only. Cop-spotting is an inexact science and the stakes are high—even if you see a dude pull up to your protest in a 2021 Challenger rocking a new haircut and a pair of cargo pants, he might be a normal suburban guy interested in radical politics, or an off-duty cop hired by rally organizers to provide security. Conversely, because cops aren’t (necessarily) idiots, they might have none of the above traits and look more like they belong than you do.

If you’re engaged in anything organized and illegal or politically controversial, there’s a good chance someone around you is monitoring it, and the depressing fact is there’s not much you can do about it. Undercover cops have a ridiculous amount of leeway in what they can do, up to and including committing crimes themselves , so beyond maybe warning other people to look out for someone sketchy, the best you can do is keep your nose clean.