On 27.10.2016 at 9:59 PM, Arariel said:

 

Maybe it's time people learn a few things instead of allowing themselves to be victims because they choose to be oblivious.  The only reason fake cops have success is because people choose not to get informed, or use common sense.  If the person getting out of a supposed police car isn't wearing any type of uniform,no badge in sight, no radio, nothing to indicate police officer, you should drive off.

Nah, that's because in the States if a man has some shiny brass thingie in his wallet that's enough to consider him a law enforcement officer. As far as I know undercover officers don't even have to show their ID to people, at least not in all states.

 

The world is already complicated, is there really a need to overcomplicate things when you interact with public servants? Maybe a hundred years ago a sheriff wore a silver star and everyone knew who he is, but now... You can order any badge, any patch, and almost any car online. Disaster waiting to happen.

 

On 10/30/2016 at 5:58 PM, Aquamenti said:

That's beyond unlikely, but should it happen, you stop and see what they want, and that's pretty much it. Because there's no way to immediately recognize the difference.

EDIT: It's actually even further complicated by the fact that an officer who is authorized to conduct traffic stops may wish to do so from a vehicle that isn't properly equipped for it, ie lacks red lights and a siren (blue means make way, red means stop). It's a very specific situation and by law you wouldn't be compelled to pull over but theoretically it's plausible and in that case any good citizen would want to co-operate rather than have the authorities waste resources on something so mundane as a traffic stop. 

 

Not here, although plain clothes officers rarely, if ever, pull anyone over. But it is a possibility and I've seen it happen.

In CT, Red means make way, Red&Blue means stop, and Blue and Green are courtesy lights for volunteer Firefighters/Paramedics. Maybe a volunteer is trying to impersonate an officer, with a full light setup (as most POVs here do), and your AVERAGE citizen will pull over. There are many factors to consider.

 

Edited November 20, 20169 yr by FCVP71