Can an UNmarked car pull you over?

[Drjones]

I've been wondering about this for a long while; can an UNmarked car pull you over, if they just have a little light in their dash?

What if the driver is NOT uniformed?

What if the driver IS uniformed, but still unmarked car?

 

[labgrade]

Of course they can, if you decide to pull over.

Best bet & from "public safety ads," I'd drive 'em around for awhile looking for my "closest" known public safety officer outlet - just to be sure.

 

[Tamara]

Varies from state to state.

In Georgia, unmarked cars may not perform traffic enforcement duties.

 

[Mike Irwin]

I seem to recall that a US appeals court held that a citizen cannot be charged with attempting to evade/flee police IF the car is an unmarked, they don't speed, and they drive to a brightly lit area such as a gas station.

Police (I forget where) charged a woman with felony evasion because she drove slowly a mile or so to a gas station because she didn't feel comfortable that the person attempting to stop her was actually a cop.

 

[hutch24]

I believe they can pull you over but most of the time unmarked units aren't there for traffic violations so they don't pull you for simple speeding or anything like that.
On the other hand up here you can usually spot the unmarked cars from miles away, the ugliest color crown vic you can buy.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Florida Highway Patrol does use some unmarked cars to do traffic stops. I also think they are equipped with a Klingon Cloaking Device.

In most areas, you ok if your slowdown, turn on your flashers and drive slowly toward an occupied area or until a marked cruiser shows up to prove they are really cops.

 

[mjustice]

It does vary from state to state, and even then, I think there are creative exemptions.

New York State has a rule/law that states that unmarked vehicles are not supposed to be used for traffic enforcement. New York City does use unmarked vehicles for TLC (Taxi and Limo Commission) enforcement, but I am sure that the courts here would rule that it is not the same as traffic enforcement.

MJ

 

[El Tejon]

Dependent upon state statute.

 

[JPM70535]

Yes here in Florida unmarked cars are regularly used by FHP mostly by supervisors who certainly can and do make traffic stops.
Ditto Sheriffs depts. and local PDs.

If a motorist feels ensure as to the bonifides of the vehicle, the proper procedure is to engage flashers, drive slowly and proceed to a well lighted and populated area, then pull over. The Officer may not be happy but he will understand. DO NOT TRY TO DRIVE HOME!!!!!

 

[XLMiguel]

VA state police & Fairfax County both use unmarked cars on the beltway an Dulles toll road (and elsewhere), right effective revenue generators, they are. Nothing slows folks down better than a marked cruiser (assujing the real intent is public safety), unmarked cars are for evenue generation

 

[Monte Harrison]

It isn't a car pulling you over, it is a police officer in the car. Of course they can stop you if they have probable cause.

 

[Don Gwinn]

In Illinois the state police have unmarked Camaros and Mustangs. There's a blue Mustang and a red Camaro at the Springfield headquarters, with white decal graphics like some of the cheaper teenagers use. No extra antennas, either--they've learned that lesson. They're certainly used for traffic enforcement.

Curiously enough, there have been a lot of complaints about the ISP drivers goading people driving the opposite car into doing something stupid, then pulling them over. Couldn't have seen that one coming. Apparently the Mustang catches a lot of Camaros and Firebirds, and the Camaro catches a lot of Mustangs.

At one point under the old head of the ISP, they acquired a semi-tractor rig and painted the trailer with a fictitious shipping company named after the director of the State Police. "Terry Gainer Enterprises" or something like that. Then they set it up with radar and used it to identify speeders who were then pulled over by the "wolf pack" farther up the road. Supposedly it worked pretty well, and also supposedly they only used it against truckers. Don't know why that makes people feel better, but it does.

 

[Fed168]

I have an unmarked and regularly pull people over. As to uniform, most of the time I don't wear one, but have something that ID's me as an officer.
I do understand the concerns though, heck one night a lady asked me for ID and I was in uniform, marked car. Worse comes to worse, I just call for a uniform to make the stop.

 

[Coronach]

Varies from state to state. In Ohio, it is supposed to be a marked car with a uniformed officer, absent exigent circumstances.

Mike

 

[illuminatus99]

I got pulled over once by one, didn't realize he was behind me until he flashed the lights in the grill, then I noticed the pushbars, spotlight and exempt plates. driver was uniformed, nice guy too.

 

[mowgli]

If you live in my neighborhood an UN marked car certainly can.

 

[rlpinca]

Here in New Mexico you are under no obligation at all to pull over unless you can clearly identify it as a police car. If it were me I'd probably get my gun from under the seat and place it on the passenger seat(just in case) and get on the cell phone pretty quick. Anybody can order red and blue lights and put them on their car. I don't remember hearing about any instances where people got into serious trouble because of a bad guy pretending he had a cop car, but it's a definate possibility. It would be very easy for a rapist or thief to put lights in the grill of his car in order to get unsuspecting sheep to pull over and become victims.