Unmarked vehicle sirens

[S-W4EVER]

I rarely use them anymore, though. I've learned that whoever is dead will still be dead when I get there. Most people don't notice the light or hear the siren until you're right behind them, then they slam on the brakes. If I need to get somewhere fast I just drive fast, yield at red lights, and turn on all the reds and blues once I get there since everybody else does.

I'm at this point in my career too. There are very few legitimate emergencies in my beat, so a minute or two either way isn't going to make much difference.

As for lighting, I had a medium titanium-colored CVPI (w/ door markings only) in my previous department with an LED red/blue light in front of the rear view mirror, wig wags, and an arrow stick in the back window. That was the best setup I ever had.

 

[truckemup97]

A "legitimate stop"???

Lawriter - ORC - 2921.331 Failure to comply with order or signal of police officer.

Yes, a legitimate stop. I think it could successfully be argued (in court, not on the side of the road) that an unmarked car with LEDs in the grill does not identify one as a police officer. I drive a truck, and frequently haul military cargo and high value electronics. Hijackings are on the rise. Before I pull over for an unmarked (read: unidentified) car, I will call 911 on my cell phone and verify that the unmarked car is actually a policeman. I would also recommend to all my friends/relatives of the fairer sex that they do the same. I'd rather face the officer in court than my wife face the funeral director.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

Yes, a legitimate stop. I think it could successfully be argued (in court, not on the side of the road) that an unmarked car with LEDs in the grill does not identify one as a police officer. I drive a truck, and frequently haul military cargo and high value electronics. Hijackings are on the rise. Before I pull over for an unmarked (read: unidentified) car, I will call 911 on my cell phone and verify that the unmarked car is actually a policeman. I would also recommend to all my friends/relatives of the fairer sex that they do the same. I'd rather face the officer in court than my wife face the funeral director.

Ditto...The sheriff who explained it to me some years ago, made it clear that Ohio law forbids the use of unmarked cars for stopping anyone on Ohio highways. I did not see anything in the earlier ORC posting that made exceptions for a cop in an unmarked car who decided to do otherwise. Failure to obey a police order only applies when the officer is readily identified as a police officer and thats not very easy to do in a plain unmarked car at 70 miles an hour, and waving a tin badge just don't get it done in the middle of a dark night.
As I recall, this law was passed in Ohio, and several other states, back in the late 40s, maybe early 50s, as a result of a serial killer who used a red light on his car to stop his victims...I believe the name was Carryl Chessman and his primary hunting ground was in California. He drew much national attention as "The Red Light Killer" and there was a book written about him. I may have the name spelled wrong and off a tad on the dates, but you get the idea.
That said, should one be pounced upon by an unmarked car while driving along the highway, the circumstances of what you're doing, the time of day, your surroundings, and a little common sense is in order. A flagrant violation on your part in the middle of a busy city block with dozens of witnesses, is a far cry from someone trying to stop you on a deserted country road at 2:00am when you have done nothing wrong. Again...common sense....Nobody is advocating that legitimate easily recognizable police orders be ignored.

 

[Jellybean]

truckmeup, again I agree with you 100%, well 98% with the first sentence being the exception.

Of course since there are no "legitimate" defenses listed in the ORC, your success in court would be detemined by how well you can convince the judge of why you did what you did and the individual judge hearing the case. In fact, this can apply to marked police cars too, based on past incidents. If you are in a remote area and don't feel comfortable stopping there is no reason you should put yourself in peril. But your circumstances and actions had better fit together with your excuses.

3rd Gen Neal, I'm sorry for hijacking your thread, I'm done.

In regards to your OP, I hardly ever used my siren, in any vehicle. It was a clue to the bad guys that it was time to go. If responding to an accident I was taught that it made injured victims relax because they knew help was coming, and that would make them bleed faster. The blood vessels would constrict if they were scared and hurting causing the blood flow to decrease.

I would use lights if needed, which wasn't very often. The last unmarked car I used had wig-wag head and tail lights, plus an LED mounted on the visor. The first one had a magnetic gumball, which if I hit a hard bump on the road would fall off and smack me in the head as the coiled cord was pulling it in. I did have one that was mounted on the dash, but it didn't have the cover to keep it from blinding me, so it didn't last long.

 

[Lt JL]

I have an unmarked 06 Impala that lights up like the Mother Ship in Close Encounters. Wigwags, strobes on all 4 corners, back, side and front led bars, and a three tone siren with airhorn to wake the dead. I check it all once a week in the garage. I will turn on the lights if stopped on a roadside so I don't get smoked. That's about it. John

 

[EdnAZ]

That reminded me to answer the origional question. We used to have the junky strobe visor lights that noone could see except the guys in the car with them (and they were blinded).

Now we have led lights built into the interior visor that are covered with a small tint strip so you can't see them from the outside. Those suckers put out so much light that if I was behind you wouldn't know that the car didn't have an external lightbar. The real nice thing about them is that they have flashback guards so I'm not blinded and they don't roll across the dash like the kojak lights.

 

[MKT]

My unmarked Tahoe that I had before going back to a marked unit had a new style controller. Instead of the standard Whelen controller it had all of the light and siren controls on a separate mike style controller. I never quite got accustomed to that controller since it wasn't, or at least didn't seem too user friendly. The power switch was hidden on the side and there is no visual cue to let you know it is on during daylight hours.

Anyone else have one of these new controllers?

 

[The Big D]

Think I've noted this before but drove a series of low profile LEO vehicles in my career. Now that I think about it, some were waaaaaaaaay low. Included among them were a F-150 Ford pickup truck, a BMW 325, a Honda Civic, a Lincoln Town Car, and my favorite, a Lexus SC400. ALL were properly equipped with lights, siren, and concealed radio(s.)

None were intended for traffic enforcement but circumstances sometimes required me to effect a stop...traffic related and otherwise. There was never a doubt they were LEO vehicles once emergency equipment was activated. Never did anyone fail to stop, either, though I was cognizant and understanding that some may not. Yes, whenever it was possible, I requested a marked unit(s) to assist. Sometimes that wasn't possible.

Most common reaction after a stop? "I didn't know you were the police." My reply: "That's the point."

As an aside, I was involved in a DWI "pursuit" and apprehension a month or so ago. Was in my vehicle that is pictured in the "Car Pictures" thread. The real police were a bit impressed...or so they said.

Be safe.