So the town I work in, which is very far at all from where I live, has an officer that has a UC 03 Chevy Suburban. It is all black with a bunch of lights and blacked out windows. However, this Suburban is the officer's personally owned vehicle. The car does not have municipal plates, or anything like that, just all black with some lights. I've driven past his house since it is own my way to work, and I've seen his wife driving the truck. I've also seen him driving it to Wal-Mart while not on duty. It even has the little stick-figure family on the back windscreen, along with various bumper stickers. I know it is his personal vehicle because I have a family friend who works at the same PD as him, and has asked him about it. 

 

To sum it up; is using your personal vehicle as an official police vehicle legal?

 

Thanks!

I'm not sure but.

 

If it's a personal vehicle you probably can't use it as a police vehicle. Though if it's light's are unusable together with it's siren it might be allowed?

I know that in small municipalities it is legal kinda a budget issue but I don't know if its legal for other personal to drive the vehicle when its not in duty I assume it is as long as the lights and sirens weren't used.

Every department will be different depending on the city size and how much area it covers. It's also dependent on what rank he might be at. In my area due to low coverage in some areas I've had officers arrive on scene not in uniform and put on a BP vest to go to work with a bad scene that requires multiple officers (In my instance it was a GSW).

 

In short it's dependent on the department. The Chief may allow him to have those lights in case he rolls up on something but of course when he's not on duty he can't simply respond to calls/do traffic stops that don't warrant it. Either way sounds strange and I honestly don't understand why anyone would want POV lights unless it's needed, just badge some one.

Every couple of years the issue of police impersonators comes up.  And people scrutinize on what is required by law for unmarked police vehicles.  It could be different by state.  The usual issues are having "proper" plates, and/or window stickers issued by the gov or police force.  And that doesn't compromise the stealth nature of the vehicle.

(some states require it, but aren't necessarily followed to the letter)

 

I can understand that not everyone will have a phone handy to call out if they feel something is wrong,  or reception depending on where they are driving.

 

 

Could be a POV. Some officers can be volunteer firefighters as well as police officers. 

Depends 100% on the Department regulations.

Well, at least this Hatzalah guy uses his personal vehicle... And violates the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law. 

Could be a POV. Some officers can be volunteer firefighters as well as police officers. 

Ya. One of out school computer techs is a volunteer Police officer. he has red lights in the front of his car(2013 Ford Taurus) and amber on the rear(CANT HAVE RED LIGHTS FACING IN THE STATE OF MAINE)

Greetings,

 

    As others have already mentioned there could be multiple reasons why someone would have lights on their vehicle.  I would suggest first you look in the states vehicle code book and find the section that talks about lighting.  This section would cover anything from police officers, volunteer firefighters, and public services like tow trucks.  However its important to note that most likely this section is vague and pretty much allows the individual departments to decide whats allowed, this excludes volunteers and civilian vehicles as these are usually strictly regulated.

 

    Second I would ask your friend about the department and more about what this guy does if you want a full answer.  If he is part of a specialized unit such at tactical or special task force he might have lights on his personal vehicle so he could respond in a moments notice.  I do believe and again this could depend on state and department regulations but if the officer saw a drunk driver swerving on the road he could use his personal vehicle to pull them over and call for a marked / on duty officer to arrive and take over.  I believe the sworn oath they take makes this mandatory.

 

  Third and final if this guy is a volunteer I would again check the vehicle codes because this section is usually strictly regulated on what is allowed.  In the state of Pennsylvania a volunteer firefighter is only allowed to have a light bar that can be seen 360 degrees around the vehicle and if they choose a dash light but must have a light bar.  Volunteers are not allowed to have grill lights or any other form of lights in windows as this makes them appear as police vehicles.  Fire chiefs as far as I know are excluded from this rule and are allowed to have grill lights.  Fire chiefs use solid red lights and takedowns whereas firefighters are solid blue only.  This is only enforced if the police feel like enforcing it I have seen multiple violations on the volunteer side but few really care as long as they are not violating other traffic codes or impersonating police.  Again each state is different so you need to check your state vehicle codes first.

 

 

-Cbeck133

Possibility he may just use them for show, everyone I work with & 99.99% of people that I know, know of all of the strobes I have in my car, I use them to show off, was already stopped for speeding about a month ago, cop saw my lights & switch box, console, had me snap all of them on, didn't say a word about it, gave me a warning for speeding and sent me on my way, bottom line here is, who really cares? you gonna report him?

It could be a "reserve officer/deputy" which would merit that sort of thing. Both volunteer and regular firemen and medics in my town do it with their cars. There's a dark red Suburban that drives around here and it has lights in the grill, windshield and back window along with a siren. I see it fly down the road from time to time. When I asked some townspeople about it, he turned out to be the fire chief.

No matter the actual situation, I know that companies that install lights in vehicles will allow emergency lights to go in provided you show them a badge. He has that, so it's probably fair game. I just don't expect him to be doing traffic stops in it. Probably run code 2 or code 3 to an emergency scenario as someone mentioned above, or maybe bring it to construction duty instead of wasting a perfectly usable cruiser.

Some departments allow detectives to modify their personal vehicle since they're technically on call 24/7.

Well over here were I live. Officers that have an Unmarked (so no lightbar or police markings) the car is in fact their personal car.

I know in Maryland, Prince George’s County officers can take their vehicles home. They can take the family in them, go shopping, use it like their personal vehicle. In DC they can take home their cruiser even if they live in Maryland or Virginia.  If an officer can use their cruiser as a personal vehicle, I don’t see why they would not be able to do the same with their personal. Only time I can see it might be an issue is the insurance coverage and the department not covering the officers vehicle if he was to use it to do police work.

 

 

Dippa

Edited October 1, 201411 yr by Dippa

Its ok here where i live at because a lot of the other officers have light in their cars. Most of them have them for things like off duty jobs or community events.

I know in Maryland, Prince George’s County officers can take their vehicles home. They can take the family in them, go shopping, use it like their personal vehicle. In DC they can take home their cruiser even if they live in Maryland or Virginia.  If an officer can use their cruiser as a personal vehicle, I don’t see why they would not be able to do the same with their personal. Only time I can see it might be an issue is the insurance coverage and the department not covering the officers vehicle if he was to use it to do police work.

 

 

Dippa

Montgomery County has the same take-home policy, with the added conditions that officers with marked take-homes can't take them outside the county and have to be able to be flagged down. This also seems to imply the added constraint that marked cruisers have to be driven by a police officer (taking family is fine, but the cop has to be there too in case he's flagged down, and family might have to wait by the side of the road if that happens). There was a driver's ed instructor I had who was actually kinda late one day because he was driving his take-home and rolled past an accident scene, where he had to pull over and help (my driver's ed classes were taught by current and retired police officers). I wouldn't be surprised if handling situations you happen to roll up to was a requirement most places -- departments don't want to look like their officers are ignoring pleas for help, and someone on the street would have no idea that a marked cruiser has an off-duty officer inside.

The main point to it is to massively increase apparent police presence, because it basically turns a cop's trip to the store into free semi-patrols for the police department (semi-patrols in that they don't get dispatched to calls or have to react to something minor, but do have to help if something major happens or they get flagged down).

Could be a POV. Some officers can be volunteer firefighters as well as police officers. 

 

 

Greetings,

 

    As others have already mentioned there could be multiple reasons why someone would have lights on their vehicle.  I would suggest first you look in the states vehicle code book and find the section that talks about lighting.  This section would cover anything from police officers, volunteer firefighters, and public services like tow trucks.  However its important to note that most likely this section is vague and pretty much allows the individual departments to decide whats allowed, this excludes volunteers and civilian vehicles as these are usually strictly regulated.

 

    Second I would ask your friend about the department and more about what this guy does if you want a full answer.  If he is part of a specialized unit such at tactical or special task force he might have lights on his personal vehicle so he could respond in a moments notice.  I do believe and again this could depend on state and department regulations but if the officer saw a drunk driver swerving on the road he could use his personal vehicle to pull them over and call for a marked / on duty officer to arrive and take over.  I believe the sworn oath they take makes this mandatory.

 

  Third and final if this guy is a volunteer I would again check the vehicle codes because this section is usually strictly regulated on what is allowed.  In the state of Pennsylvania a volunteer firefighter is only allowed to have a light bar that can be seen 360 degrees around the vehicle and if they choose a dash light but must have a light bar.  Volunteers are not allowed to have grill lights or any other form of lights in windows as this makes them appear as police vehicles.  Fire chiefs as far as I know are excluded from this rule and are allowed to have grill lights.  Fire chiefs use solid red lights and takedowns whereas firefighters are solid blue only.  This is only enforced if the police feel like enforcing it I have seen multiple violations on the volunteer side but few really care as long as they are not violating other traffic codes or impersonating police.  Again each state is different so you need to check your state vehicle codes first.

 

 

-Cbeck133

 

 

Possibility he may just use them for show, everyone I work with & 99.99% of people that I know, know of all of the strobes I have in my car, I use them to show off, was already stopped for speeding about a month ago, cop saw my lights & switch box, console, had me snap all of them on, didn't say a word about it, gave me a warning for speeding and sent me on my way, bottom line here is, who really cares? you gonna report him?

 

 

It could be a "reserve officer/deputy" which would merit that sort of thing. Both volunteer and regular firemen and medics in my town do it with their cars. There's a dark red Suburban that drives around here and it has lights in the grill, windshield and back window along with a siren. I see it fly down the road from time to time. When I asked some townspeople about it, he turned out to be the fire chief.

No matter the actual situation, I know that companies that install lights in vehicles will allow emergency lights to go in provided you show them a badge. He has that, so it's probably fair game. I just don't expect him to be doing traffic stops in it. Probably run code 2 or code 3 to an emergency scenario as someone mentioned above, or maybe bring it to construction duty instead of wasting a perfectly usable cruiser.

 

 

Some departments allow detectives to modify their personal vehicle since they're technically on call 24/7.

 

 

That's the thing though, it is a fairly small department, and they don't have any unmarked SUVs, only cars. I know for a fact that he is not a detective or a reserve officer, either. He is just a normal patrolman. From talking to the family friend in the dept. he said that the guy with the Suburban wanted to drive it because it wasn't a CVPI. The cop is also one of those that if you're doing 36 in a 35 zone, he will stop you, write you up for all he can find, and go to court to fight your appeal. I understand that you break the law by going 36 in a 35, but that's a bit ridiculous. 

Montgomery County has the same take-home policy, with the added conditions that officers with marked take-homes can't take them outside the county and have to be able to be flagged down. This also seems to imply the added constraint that marked cruisers have to be driven by a police officer (taking family is fine, but the cop has to be there too in case he's flagged down, and family might have to wait by the side of the road if that happens). ................ I wouldn't be surprised if handling situations you happen to roll up to was a requirement most places -- departments don't want to look like their officers are ignoring pleas for help, and someone on the street would have no idea that a marked cruiser has an off-duty officer inside.

The main point to it is to massively increase apparent police presence, because it basically turns a cop's trip to the store into free semi-patrols for the police department (semi-patrols in that they don't get dispatched to calls or have to react to something minor, but do have to help if something major happens or they get flagged down).

 

One question;

Supposing an off-duty cop has driven his family to the store (using a marked vehicle) & is returning back trunk full of groceries.

And he finds someone severely speeding. He pulls him over, but then that guy takes off, resulting in a high-speed chase.

Now, until when will that off-duty cop be part of that chase? Until another unit can catch up? (I'm assuming he has to stop at some point, because he's basically putting his family in danger too)

One question;

Supposing an off-duty cop has driven his family to the store (using a marked vehicle) & is returning back trunk full of groceries.

And he finds someone severely speeding. He pulls him over, but then that guy takes off, resulting in a high-speed chase.

Now, until when will that off-duty cop be part of that chase? Until another unit can catch up? (I'm assuming he has to stop at some point, because he's basically putting his family in danger too)

Easy: He *doesn't* pull them over. Moving violations do not require an officer who observes them to take action based on them. For that matter, police *don't* have to chase someone over a moving violation; it's often department policy not to, because chases are extremely dangerous to police, suspect, and anyone else on the road -- if someone's pulled over for speeding and takes off, the cop is reasonably likely to call it in but not chase, because risking lives over a speeding ticket is often not the best option (there are a fair number of departments that forbid chases for anything short of a violent felony).

Police officers off-duty are generally not required to be acting as cops. In a marked car, they have to only in situations where a police car can't very well just drive past (i.e. emergencies and when a member of the public needs a cop). They would likely be expected to chase someone who they see shooting at a group of people and speeding off. They would not even be expected to pull over someone merely committing a moving violation.