well, it's obvious that it's the USER and NOT the erquipment that is the problem. I have several antennas on my car. If I had a Crown Vic or Caprice, I'd still have the antennas.
I do neighborhood patrol from time-to-time in my neighborhood, and have blue and amber flashing lights going when I do. If they were not temporary, and in the form of a light bar, I should still be able to have them on there. Even if I have a red and blue light bar, it's only illegal to use it in certain situations. If I want to install wig-wags on my headlights, I'll do that too.
If I want to follow an emergency vehicle, as long as I'm not within a certain distance, I can do that too...even if I'm just seeing where they're going. If I want to show up at a scene, as long as I'm not hindering response or investigation, I'm within my rights, unless asked to leave by a property owner or official in charge of the scene.
I have a REAL problem with someone trying to interfere with my legal rights, whether by intimidation or otherwise.
All that said, I will say that laws are in place for good reason to keep people from following an emergency vehicle too closely or interfering with an investigation or emergency response. The laws in place, are there in their present form for a reason...to protect officials as they work, as well as my rights.
As far as the tow truck driver using his lights improperly, or the newbie firefighter using an amber light to get to the station, there will always be idiots who don't use their head to properly guide their actions. However, we also have a law in place that says you MUST move over to the right if someone comes up behind you, whether you're going the speed limit or not. This law is often misunderstood to mean that you only have to move over if you moving slower than the speed limit. This is the wrong interpretation of that law. You have to move over if you're going slower than the car behind you. I can't STAND it when I come up behind someone on the highway and they're traveling in the left lane with nobody in the right lane. MOVE OVER, idiot!!
OK, I'm off my soapbox, and back to the original post....the police look a-like. There must have been a reason it was towed. As far as I know, there are no laws on the books that address simply having a car that looks like a police car, as long as there is no actual markings that say police, and come to think of it, I don't think that's even illegal. An individual impersonating a police officer is illegal, but that has nothing to do with what car you drive, what colors you paint it, or what you put on it. Only the USE of some equipment that you can put on that car is illegal.
