How to spot an undercover cop car?

Mackmax

Mackmax

Well-Known Member
How do you suspect an undercover cop car?
I know that they're all American-made cars, but what other traits are there?
 
I think besides the type of car that it is, you can spot a cop car by the windows. If you see a four-door car of some sort driving pass you with tinted windows then you should probably be on the lookut. You should also lookout to see if the car drives at a kind of slow speed and has REALLY bright lights as well
 
Black tinted windows, bright lights, driving at slow speeds, powerful car. These are all of the signs I could think of if you're trying to spot an undercover car, but remember that its pretty damn hard to do so. And no cop would ever reveal themselves if they are an undercover cop.
 
Don't be so quick to assume undercover cars all have similar traits! A successful undercover car doesn't necessarily conform to those traits. Remember, not all vehicles are 4-door sedans with tinted windows and cages in the back. We've got a dinky old minivan...

That said, a good giveaway is the set of lights in the back. Some blend in better than others.
 
Thanks, guys!
I've been the victim of getting caught speeding by an undercover cop far too many times, lol. I'll definitely use these tips to my advantage.
 
well that's a hard question because it could be any American car, but generally speaking they like ford Suv's. Sometimes I see dodge Chargers as undercover cars, but it all depends.
 
Mackmax said:
I know that they're all American-made cars, but what other traits are there?
Click to expand...

I thought many police are now using cars confiscated from drug dealers and other criminals. I know some states are doing this. I am pretty sure that not all criminals use American made cars.
 
tanker said:
I thought many police are now using cars confiscated from drug dealers and other criminals. I know some states are doing this. I am pretty sure that not all criminals use American made cars.
Click to expand...

This is what happens here. There are all kinds of undercover cars and trucks, and suvs being used around here and they aren't all in dark colors either. One is a bright yellow hummer so don't be too assumptive about what undercover cop cars look like. ;)
 
Around here its almost hopeless to spot an undercover or unmarked. There are so many cars that look like unmarked or are old cars sold at police auctions that I have given up trying to pick them out. Some people leave the big mirrors on them and everything. Then, you get the unmarked cars that are chevy cavaliers with a light on them. Like I said... hopeless.
 
They can blend in perfectly if they want to, there isn't some sort of universal way of detecting them. I'm not sure it's worth spending your time looking after them either. Just drive safely instead of going berserk at the wheel in order to shave 5 minutes off of your commute.
 
The Crown Victoria was the most popular police vehicle around but Ford has stopped making those. I have seen a lot of Impala's around recently. Another about undercover police cars is that they have many antenna's on them and no registration stickers on the back.
 
Well, you obviously mean 'unmarked' car and not an undercover car because the cars they give to undercover cops do not have any of the antennas and are not something you can just spot on the road. Even sitting in one it would be hard to determine that its a cop car unless you know exactly what to look for in the right place.

'Unmarked' cars on the other hand can usually be spotted because the antennas and tinted windows.
 
Im my area the undercover cop cars have one standout feature that identifies them from every other vehicle. Bushguards, or front grills. If you see plastic or metal bush-guard on the front of a SEDAN or 4-door-coup then you can almost know 100% of the time it's a Cop Car. Another telltale sign is two antennae on the same car, as one listens to civ frequencies while the other one picks up cb or radio from the station. If you see double antennae AND a bushguard, you've hit the lottery. A lot of the time the car will be a solid color regardless of the color itself (Solid black, solid white).
 
The purpose of an "undercover" officer, is to go undetected. Although, past practices were predictable, police departments have wised up, and begun employing a variety of tactics for undercover investigation. There isn't a "standard" for undercover vehicles. They aren't all American made, they don't all have tinted windows, and they don't all behave in specific ways.
 
Some officers are just incredibly obvious in the way they act. They are staring at a whole lot of things really intently and just giving off a really intense vibe.
 
How about the red two-door that the under-cover deputy who ran into my bicycle was driving? I guess he was a bit embarrassed. I once delivered a pizza to a house with the instructions "look for my husband's unmarked police car out front."
Around here the police like to use cars they have confiscated from drug dealers and pimps, so look for that type of vehicle. I have also noticed vans being used a lot, but those are used for watching. I suppose that this thread is about the unmarked car you just passed illegally while speeding through a school zone. That'll be the one with the flashing lights where you didn't expect to see them. At least, I hope that is how you find them.
 
lol Aww, this question made me chuckle. I suppose first & foremost it depends on where you live. I've always been able to figure out what car is (as we refer to them here) a 'narco' & which is not: Look at who is in the vehicle. You should instantly become aware.
 
I totally agree, JulianWilliams; trying to identify them just sounds exhausting to me. I'd much rather spend all that time and energy on staying on the right side of the law. You put all that effort into identifying them when they could very well end up not being them LOL I guess if you're not doing anything unlawful, you don't need to keep a sharp eye out for them.
 
It could be any car these days, obviously they want something that will blend into the neighborhood, so to spot one it's best to look at where they park. If a car if there for too long then you can get suspicious. Also if people are sitting there doing nothing that's a bit of a give away, so I would look at these things more than the actual make of car.
 
The whole point is to go undetected so I can imagine that they use all sorts of vehicles, including the ancient bangers. Gabe is right to say that the length of time it is parked up for is a better indication of what is going on.
 
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