OHTA.ca

picture removed....thanks SQUISHY....don't know why it stopped working!...see post below from Squishy

Is that last picture blocked for anyone else?

I tracked it down and copied it to my Photobucket for anyone else having troubles:

The spotlight on the A-pillar kind of gives it away.

I dont think vehicles like this should be used.

Online you can buy those exact LED's that go in those cars.

If police vehicles were random you would have no idea whether its some prankster or an actual officer.

You can buy those light bars.

I like the OPP's policy. There cruisers stand out and you dont miss them.

The marked black and white crown vic with the reflective take marked OPP and the LED's on the roof are an icon on the highway. You always know if its an officer or to pull over or if he needs to pass in an emergency.

Sure you might be able to issue more tickets but then it would be hard to distinguish for a real officer.

That would be really bad if there was an accident he needed to get to and people didn't immediately realize that.

I must say those Tahoe's stand out really well to you dont miss them.

I like the LED's also you can see them REALLY far away.

I must say if there is any charge thats inexcusable it is failing to move over for an officer on the side of the road. There is no way you can miss a marked Vic with the LED's activated and not slow down or move over for it.

If people don't believe me i can find the link for those style of LED's. They have them for the grills of your car to. Anyone can buy them.

Atleast with a marked Vic or Tahoe with the Slim LED light bar you know its a real officer.

It's not that hard to re-create a normal cruiser, either. I used to work at a sign shop and I could make and apply all the decals for an "all-white" OPP cruiser in less than a day. The black-and-white would take a few days more for the spray paint to dry.

I think the stealth vehicles should be some model other than a standard cruiser. They may not be pursuit-rated, but it always takes me longer to recognise a stealth Grand Am or Malibu. The clueless ones will miss a fully dressed cruiser anyways., but the ones who break the law regularly and are always on the lookout for po-po seem to be pretty good at picking out stealth cruisers - mostly based on the vehicle model and the fact that they have steel wheels. Throw them a few curveballs with a stealthy Camry or Maxima. No one ever expects the foreign make to be a cop car.

Bear - on the subject of impersonating LEOs, and I know we're getting way off-track now, but if someone sees flashing lights and an indication to pull over at night, can they first turn on their 4-ways and then dial *OPP to confirm the officer's identity? Would the person at the other end be able to know anything if a service other than OPP is pulling the caller over?

But that may work for catching speeders but the OPP's job is not catching speeders. The public would not support that. They are there to show their presence on the highway. Alot of people seem to think it is a scam when they get pulled over by an unmarked car.

Their job is safety. When there is an accident or a incident on the road this is what officers are really important for.

For safety i think a marked cruiser is a better idea. It sends the message they are not out there to cheat you, or scam you, they are visible and so.

You always see those black and white cruisers, you always know when you see a real one and when to move over.

Sure squishy you could clone a police car but thats hard isnt it? You have to buy an interceptor infact with the cost what would the point be?

What i was saying is any dumb ass with a bit of money i am guessing less than 200 $ can go out and buy some LED's to impersonate an officer.

I am talking about some kid who would go buy them for his charger so he can race down the left lane and get everyone to move out of his way.

Most people wouldn't try to impersonate a marked vic. But any goof can buy police LED's online to impersonate an officer.

Here is what i mean thats only 90 $. Sounds not bad for someone who wants to have a couple kicks.

Now can you imagine trying to buy a police interceptor. Buying the forks, getting the OPP paint job. The exact LED top bar. All the rest. Sure its possible but who in their right mind would go through all that....

"Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers will soon be patrolling Ontario roadways and communities in the traditional black and white police car, adding greater visibility and instant recognition to OPP general duty and traffic patrol.

"Officer and public safety are the primary concerns," said Commissioner Fantino."

More of those lights some goof could buy. > http://www.projectresponder.com/

Again its about safety. "Highway Safety Division." Its not like the CRA or something. The point is not to set up some system to give as many tickets as possible. This is why people rejected photo radar they didn't like it.

I think the OPP are very fair and are not trying to swindle people for their own good. Their policies are fair, they are very professional, visible on the road etc. The money from the tickets goes to local municipalities they receive no monetary purpose for issuing tickets.

All that i know is when i see a cruiser i know what it is and i move over asap. They all look the same their is no excuse. They are recognizable. They are an icon on our highways.

Just to show my point. The top led bars can be bought for around 500.

But some guy with a dodge charger and 50 $ could put a couple grill lights on his car for some kicks.

tdrive2 wrote:What i was saying is any dumb ass with a bit of money i am guessing less than 200 $ can go out and buy some LED's to impersonate an officer.

I am talking about some kid who would go buy them for his charger so he can race down the left lane and get everyone to move out of his way.

Most people wouldn't try to impersonate a marked vic. But any goof can buy police LED's online to impersonate an officer.

http://www.extremetacticaldynamics.com/

Here is what i mean thats only 90 $. Sounds not bad for someone who wants to have a couple kicks.

Now can you imagine trying to buy a police interceptor. Buying the forks, getting the OPP paint job. The exact LED top bar. All the rest. Sure its possible but who in their right mind would go through all that....

But the penalties here are criminal and much more severe than most of the stuff we deal with lol. Then you would have to park the car well out of sight, as wel if you were to attempt to paint it. I have no idea why people do it. The penalties can be enormous, especially if the court determines malice.

People do it to "stand out" at car shows. It's really quite pointless to me - along with blue or green turn signals. Seriously, WTF?

tdrive2 - yes cost is a lot more to duplicate a fully marked cruiser, but if you have that kind of cash, the time it takes is not a lot more. About four hours to create the graphics, an hour to plot them onto vinyl, two hours to apply them on the car, then maybe three hours to install a light bar and controller. Less than half a day and you are now in big trouble. Creating a stealth car would probably take four or five hours overall.

Also, stealth cars are not out there to cheat people; they're out there to keep them from cheating the law by slowing down at the sight of a cruiser. Just because they don't get caught does not mean they are not breaking the law. If they do get caught, then they cheated themselves out of their own money because they chose to speed.

Squishy wrote:Bear - on the subject of impersonating LEOs, and I know we're getting way off-track now, but if someone sees flashing lights and an indication to pull over at night, can they first turn on their 4-ways and then dial *OPP to confirm the officer's identity? Would the person at the other end be able to know anything if a service other than OPP is pulling the caller over?

It is a very good point in this area or even at night with a non-roof bar cruiser.

If uncertain of the trueness of the cruiser without a roof bar. Slow down, move to the right, put on the 4 ways, call *677 (* OPP) or 911. Advise police dispatch of your location and YOUR licence plate...see below for reason.

**Do NOT try to outrun or accelerate to get away, we will take this as a pursuit and tire deflation devices will be setup**

The officer behind will call in your plate and that will be recorded on the computer, so every police service will know the plate has been checked by a legit officer. Dispatch can then tell you, YES that is an officer, so go ahead and stop.

If NOT legit, remain at slow speed, update dispatch of your location and the real police are on their way.

Squishy wrote:People do it to "stand out" at car shows. It's really quite pointless to me - along with blue or green turn signals. Seriously, WTF? .

BTW....Both tickets on the highway!!

tdrive2 wrote:Just to show my point. The top led bars can be bought for around 500.

But some guy with a dodge charger and 50 $ could put a couple grill lights on his car for some kicks.

http://www.ledoutfitters.com/index.php? ... egory_id=9

That $500 light bar is 24" wide.... lowest 48" bar is $650, that does not include other components to make it work.

LED one is $50 which could do the trick!

I have actually seen one guy try that with a $30 bicycle LED tail light that flashes......he was coming towards me one night.....so I did the right thing and pulled to the shoulder, waited until he went by, and then demonstrated how many lights my car had

tdrive2 wrote:I dont think vehicles like this should be used..

I would like to see 90% of hwy units be unmarked. Not as a "trap".

But having driven fully marked billboard and then driving my own vehicle.....people become ANGELS once they see a marked cruiser.....few minutes later, back being a jackass. So the deterence for the 1km approaching and 1km away from the marked car did what?

Have you noticed a difference between OPP's all-white and black-and-white cruisers?