Tips for spotting an unmarked cop car on North American roads

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

You could say I've become a bit of a paranoid driver since my arrest in 2006, especially if I'm stoned. I can usually spot a cop car from far away and be sure to be on my best driving behavior by the time we cross paths. But my working assumption is that every other car on the road is a cop, until I have good reason to believe otherwise. I started this thread so that we can share tips for identifying cars on the road that are highly likely to be cops. Mods, I don't believe this breaks any rules, since I'm not explicitly instructing people on how to break the law. I think citizens have a right to know when they're being surveiled and patrolled. What they do with that knowledge is their own business.

That said, maybe I'm overly paranoid, but I get the sense cops in unmarked cars really don't like it when citizens know they're cops and give them some indication they know. I've been pulled over for simply looking at them too long or too suspiciously.

What I've noticed:
* Always American cars. If I can tell it's a foreign car, I immediately let down my guard. I've never known an American police force to use any foreign car.
* Usually non-high-end performance vehicles. Of course I'll mind my behavior around ANY Crown Vicky. But I increasingly see LED cop lights inside the windows of Dodge Chargers and Ford Explorers too.
* Heavy window tinting
* In certain states, distinctive license plate numbers. In NJ, a lot of them have plates that start with a Z.
* If I can see the front grille, I often look for extra little pairs of lights embedded in it that are almost hidden.
* The glow of a full-sized laptop near the driver's seat
* I'm honestly suspicious of any American car with a Fraternal Order of Police or Police Benevolent Association insignia, either on the license plate or as a window sticker
* Any car parked on the side of a busy road at night with just its parking lights on. Ordinary citizens tend to use their flashers, or no lights at all.

 

[Johnny blue]

I agree that they do typically use American makes but, I'm pretty sure that some do use seized vehicles for shady stuff sometimes. I doubt that they'd blow their cover for a minor traffic violation but, I'd be wary of anyone in a car while doing anything like buying drugs.

As far as unmarked cars that will pull you over I'd say most would be fords too. Either the ever popular explorer or the newish fusion. Both seem to be a popular c choice with the latter being a lot less conspicuous. I see fusions pulling people over on the highway all the time.

 

[HighonLife]

one thing common around here is a lack of hub caps

 

[shimazu]

the domestic cars was the first thing I was gonna say and also they drive a lot of Impalas now

 

[kaywholed]

Note: Canadian Info that may be applicable to the USA.

UC officers can and do use non American cars (either leases or seized property) to target certain groups.

Extra antennas for radios.

one thing common around here is a lack of hub caps

yup.

 

[MemphisX3]

I agree that they do typically use American makes but, I'm pretty sure that some do use seized vehicles for shady stuff sometimes. I doubt that they'd blow their cover for a minor traffic violation but, I'd be wary of anyone in a car while doing anything like buying drugs.

As far as unmarked cars that will pull you over I'd say most would be fords too. Either the ever popular explorer or the newish fusion. Both seem to be a popular c choice with the latter being a lot less conspicuous. I see fusions pulling people over on the highway all the time.

the small subarb right out side of memphis i used to live in would turn confiscate cars info undercovers.



i have seen nissans, aztecs, dodge ram trucks, and even a few hondas.

 

[Madhatter4]

Also look for a spotlight on the side of vehicle..... your average Joe does not have a large light mounted right above the side mirrors.......

 

[oxie]

In Chicago unmarks are usually crown vics and tahoes. Some have green 'M' plates

 

[Mzral]

All black Ford Mustang's, newer models. They're notorious around here.

 

[rexwayne]

in va its the 02 and newer impalla's with blacked out windows. allmost always grey or black. thats in norfolk anyways

 

[alovesupreme]

in my area, unmarkeds are almost always flat black painted versions of the local police department's current livery e.g crown vics, chargers, suburbans, explorers and what not. as other posters have mentioned, look out for black steelie wheels, no alloys or hub caps like on the consumer versions. they almost always have municipal plates (if your locality has such a thing). also good calls on looking for that drivers-side spotlight and any antennas besides the AM/FM whip and satellite radio. but i'm sure for a high profile guy (big stings, not a coincidental small bust) and they wanted to be extra devious, they'd just use any old impounded cars. so kids, be discreet, switch up your pick up spots often, keep an eye out for nosy bystanders and DRIVE SAFE. you're always at greatest risk in your car. watch the speed limit, replace those burned out bulbs, fix your exhaust, drive straight in your lane and ALWAYS signal before turning and merging. take it from someone who got bit and learned the hard way to ditch the hubris and keep it on the low low.

 

[HighonLife]

replace those burned out bulbs,.

this

first time i got popped, my dude had told me my lights were out n to fix em that the majority of people he knew who had been stopped were for broken tail lights.

i was a lazy junkie n said fuck it

2 weeks later i got popped for the tail light

 

[shimazu]

it takes like 2 seconds to change a bulb

 

[HighonLife]

yep, i know

wish i woulda listened/not been lazy


but at the same time, i was 9 days clean before that arrest, i was on my way to cop, if i hadnt gotten pulled over i doubt id have 20 months without H under my belt, i mean im sure i woulda still quit eventually cuz i had been tryin there for months but it was kinda like divine intervention

 

[Tommyboy]

All American cars by me, but not the typical ones in my cases. I've been popped by a Chevy Malibu (in this color), Oldsmobile Intrigue, and Pontiac Grand Prix. The former is common around NYC now, and I saw someone else pulled over by one on my way home from jail, and the latter two were in the same unit which also used Jeep Liberties. If you are getting pulled over by cars like that though you are likely fucked since they are special units that are only making busts for felonies, and are definitely not out there giving speeding tickets or something. The all black Crown Victorias are like the middle ground, doing both traffic stops and undercover busts.

My tip would be to go by your local precinct and see what's parked out back. I saw all the cars that pulled me over when I drove by the precinct to check it out. Of course their off duty cars are in the parking lot too, but depending on the size of the precinct you can get a good idea of which cars in the lot might be for police work if you are just paying attention to the American ones.

 

[RedRum OG]

The infamous big antennas

I agree with the no hub caps too

Clean interior

Never have LED lights

 

[Foreigner]

Unmarked cars in Canada are not that hard to spot. They have features that standard cars don't have. They are usually black and look really plain. They also have different lighting attached to the hood, the top, or even the mirrors on the sides. I think they are purposefully identifiable. Drivers on the road are not likely going to notice such fine details, so they will not adjust their driving to an unmarked car vs. an actual police car. For pedestrians, unmarked cars are obvious.

Aside from that, if cops are using truly unmarked cars and are not in uniform when they follow you, then it means they are staking you out and you're probably SOL anyway.

 

[ransittoxic]

Where I live, they are in ANYTHING. Mostly Ford Escapes, but I have seen them jump out of minivans, SUVs, and what not. And when they run out they usually have like 3 or 4 cars out, you have to look in parking lots and what not. If you see someone in a vehicle just sitting there looking around, usually two people in one car. You might not be paranoid.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

Learn what radio system your local and state police use. You can then tell if the car is local or state police just by looking at the antennas.

Another thing to look for is "FM antennas" on cars that normally don't have them. Chevrolet Impalas are an example. The stock model doesn't have a regular steel whip antenna for FM broadcast reception. I've seen a few Virginia State Police Impalas with FM antennas on them that are actually VHF antennas for their communications system disguised as regular FM antennas.

NSFW:

And remember that any of the silver/chrome antennas can be painted black or even the same color of the car to make them very hard to see at night.

700/800MHz antennas (note that many window-mount antennas that look like old-school car phone antennas from the 1980s and 1990s are commonly used for the 700/800MHz bands as well) :

UHF (450-512MHz) antennas:

VHF (148-174MHz) antennas:

VHF low band (30-50MHz) antennas:

Look like the ones above, or this

VHF low band is rarely used, but some highway patrol agencies in certain states (California, North Carolina, etc) still use it.

Look at the antennas on the marked vehicles of your local agencies and compare them to the ones seen on unmarked units:

Here we see a California Highway Patrol unit with both a VHF lowband and a VHF highband antenna. So, if you see unmarked units in California with either of those antennas, its a possibility that they are CHP....that being said, CHP is now using a mix of VHF low band and 700MHz...that image is a bit outdated.

 

[brutus]

Do any of yall ever see the completely blacked out, brand new Tahoes with no license plate?

Pretty sure those are feds.