Undercover cars looking obvious?

[RedPenguin]

Alright, let me set the record straight. I am not trying to insult anyone and I have a huge respect for police officers, especially for all of the bullcrap they deal with every day and the huge danger that surfaces from time to time.

Though, what confuses me, is why Impalas and Crown Vics are used for undercover work and why they always seem to appear obvious to be a police car.

For example, I saw a Crown Vic and thought, "Damn that looks like an undercover car", then almost instantly I then seen a municipal plate and two sheriffs walk out. It looked very similar to http://www.dragtimes.com/images/1010...20Victoria.jpg

I think what really gave it away was the NO hubcaps. Every police car I have ever seen has no hubcaps, why? Are they too hard to maintain? My entire city police force has NO hubcaped Impalas.

I know I'm a scanner listener and often notice things that most people would not or even care about, but if I immediately said, undercover, why would no one else be able to do the same?

Also, I've seen so many Impalas used unmarked business.

I noticed the police never seem to use old beat up cars for undercover work, it's normally really nice newer cars. I don't think most people would suspect an old junker to being police.

Also, it's like US Air Marshals always wearing a suit on the plane. WHY? I thought they were to blend in.

[poltergeisty]

..around here they use a van.

Like they can hide it.

[mikepdx]

Originally Posted by RedPenguin

Though, what confuses me, is why Impalas and Crown Vics are used for undercover work and why they always seem to appear obvious to be a police car.

I think you're confusing unmarked units, and undercover units.
They're not necessarily the same.

The guy sitting at the corner in his Toyota pickup,
reading a map or munching on a burger,
could be a Fed or local detective on stake-out.
You and I wouldn't know, and that's the point.

They may not ALL be as obvious as you think.

[TXFirefighter112]

Originally Posted by poltergeisty

..around here they use a van.

Like they can hide it.

Does it say:

Flowers
By
Irene

On the side of it?

[chrismol1]

I've always wondered about the same thing.
Around here the Sheriff is upgrading from crown vics and replacing them with these new Chevys

[trace1]

Originally Posted by TXFirefighter112

Does it say:

Flowers
By
Irene

On the side of it?

Could be someone from the...

Council
Of
Professional
Surveyors

[Ray_Air]

Originally Posted by RedPenguin

Alright, let me set the record straight. I am not trying to insult anyone and I have a huge respect for police officers, especially for all of the bullcrap they deal with every day and the huge danger that surfaces from time to time.

Though, what confuses me, is why Impalas and Crown Vics are used for undercover work and why they always seem to appear obvious to be a police car.

For example, I saw a Crown Vic and thought, "Damn that looks like an undercover car", then almost instantly I then seen a municipal plate and two sheriffs walk out. It looked very similar to http://www.dragtimes.com/images/1010...20Victoria.jpg

I think what really gave it away was the NO hubcaps. Every police car I have ever seen has no hubcaps, why? Are they too hard to maintain? My entire city police force has NO hubcaped Impalas.

I know I'm a scanner listener and often notice things that most people would not or even care about, but if I immediately said, undercover, why would no one else be able to do the same?

Also, I've seen so many Impalas used unmarked business.

I noticed the police never seem to use old beat up cars for undercover work, it's normally really nice newer cars. I don't think most people would suspect an old junker to being police.

Also, it's like US Air Marshals always wearing a suit on the plane. WHY? I thought they were to blend in.

On the side of the federal building in Detroit the Secret Service & FBI have some of their supposed U/C vehicles parked, but they are suspicious with the 1/4 wave VHF antenna on the trunk and a government plate. They used to use cars like the mid 90's Ford Thunderbird, Pontiac Grand Am's and Gran Prix.Years ago I rode in a Secret Service field agent vehicle once. It was a red 1999 Pontiac Grand Am. It still had a government plate, a VHF Motorola Spectra and emergency lights behind the grill. I don't think anyone would think it was a SS vehicle. You just knew it was a government vehicle. I was checking out the Spectra because it was mounted on the middle console/passenger side and I was in the passenger seat.

NO, I wasn't under arrest either! It had to do with financial crimes and I worked in the corporate security-investigations department of a financial institution at the time.

[n1das]

In my area, I find the unmarked cars are always very well marked by how unmarked they are. They seem to fit a "profile" of an unmarked car.

The unmarked cars are also kept spotlessly clean like the regular marked cars are. They would blend in much better if they were allowed to get a bit more filthy before getting washed again.

[Ray_Air]

Originally Posted by n1das

In my area, I find the unmarked cars are always very well marked by how unmarked they are. They seem to fit a "profile" of an unmarked car.

The unmarked cars are also kept spotlessly clean like the regular marked cars are. They would blend in much better if they were allowed to get a bit more filthy before getting washed again.

It would be best if they bought unsuspecting vehicles like a mini-van or a Nissan. Then NO gov or municipal plates! And no antennas, even those antennex.

[trace1]

Originally Posted by Ray_Air

It would be best if they bought unsuspecting vehicles like a mini-van or a Nissan. Then NO gov or municipal plates! And no antennas, even those antennex.

How about a 1977 Ford Pinto "Cruising Wagon", you wouldn't think "the fuzz" would be cruising in one of them now would ya'?

[chrismol1]

And you also have to remember that just there presence in public makes a point. The unmarked cars make it less obvious to the general public but there still no undercover vehicles

[burner50]

Originally Posted by RedPenguin

Though, what confuses me, is why Impalas and Crown Vics are used for undercover work and why they always seem to appear obvious to be a police car.

I believe you're confusing the concept of Unmarked with Undercover. Two VERY different things. Cops are not stupid. They know what a cop car looks like, and what gives it away.

It is my honest opinion that you would not see an undercover car. The iowa state patrol has an unmarked Crown Victoria around where I live, but it is a uniformed trooper behind the wheel, and it is covered in grille/dash/deck lights with the normal array of antennas.

[mancow]

You guys are thinking to logically. You are coming at it from the perspective of what is most productive.

The likely answer to the main question comes down to money and what's the cheapest option. Fleet vehicles are cheaper than buying regular civilian cars and old staff or even marked cars are often rotated out of the fleet. They are often de-marked and handed out as unmarked units.

[FFPM571]

I work on Undercover cars for 3 letter agencies all the time. Unless you know what to look for you would never know.. With the advancement in LED lights and undercover antenna's Its not easy for Joe Scmoe to spot them in traffic. The only thing you may see on one of my installs is a non factory switch in the console and a window mount Sti-co cell look alike. All the radios are in the center console or glove box and speaker is up high under the passenger side dash or under the passenger seat.

Mancow is correct. Many times departments will use a patrol car til a set amount of miles, then move it to pool or admin use. That means take the bar off cage out add a dash or deck lights then slap a coat of paint on it. Then its used til sent off to be the water departments meter readers car. Ive done PD admin cars that have been used by the bosses for 2 yrs then sent to the detectives a quick window tint job and off you go.

One department here would buy used cars off the local lot becasue they could get 3 for the price of one new one, and it was anything goes. Dodge durango, Nissan pathfinder,grand prix, and a honda civic..

[jhooten]

Detectives in a town near where I once lived used seized cars. One of them went to do a buy in his "new" car. One of the do-bads said:
Hey, that's my cousin's car, I know because I put that head unit in. Cuz got busted last month. What you doing with his car?
Needless to say the buy didn't go down that night.

[SLWilson]

Originally Posted by Ray_Air

It would be best if they bought unsuspecting vehicles like a mini-van or a Nissan. Then NO gov or municipal plates! And no antennas, even those antennex.

If they did that, they'd get tickets when they parked in the loading zone or some other no parking zone!!!!!

Steve

[AlabamaRS]

maybe, it the "visual deterrent" thing will u try & lets say outrun a car you think is a cop? or what not?

[Stick0413]

I do love the unmarked cars with "official local gov't" or "official state gov't" tags. The hubcap issue is that they are truly too hard to maintain. They tend to lose to many and its easier to just do the center caps that are in the pic you linked. However I do say they should at least use regular hubcaps and regular license plates on unmarked cars.

I've had a scare with an unmarked car before. Why I didn't get pulled over and slammed for reckless is anyone's guess. I do know it did slow me down for the rest of that day though (I didn't mean to go as fast as I was. I thought I was doing 10 at the most over and I was doing about 22 over. Just one of those roads that you can fly on and not realize it).

[burner50]

Originally Posted by SLWilson

If they did that, they'd get tickets when they parked in the loading zone or some other no parking zone!!!!!

Steve

So what? My father in law drives govt cars for his job. Whenever somebody parks in his space(s), he parks in a metered lot.

He gets several tickets per day.

Does he worry about them?

No. The vehicle is licensed to the United States Air Force. Are the police gonna arrest the whole air force for not paying parking tickets?

[Astrak]

Originally Posted by burner50

So what? My father in law drives govt cars for his job. Whenever somebody parks in his space(s), he parks in a metered lot.

He gets several tickets per day.

Does he worry about them?

No. The vehicle is licensed to the United States Air Force. Are the police gonna arrest the whole air force for not paying parking tickets?

Like they don't know who has what car(actually maybe not)? You're not going to notice an undercover car...that's why it's an undercover car. I think the no hub caps(technically they do have hub caps those are the caps in the middle) is because they use heavy duty steel wheels and you can't slap a wheel cover on there.