12 Subtle Warning Signs of Unmarked Police Cars
“It does no good to spread a net when the bird you want to catch is watching,” says the Holy Bible. Unmarked police cars are like the fowler spreading the net when the bird isn’t watching, but a smart bird knows a few things that always give the hidden net away. It’s not just about skirting traffic laws.
Being aware of the presence of unmarked police cars can encourage safer driving habits. If you get pulled over, you can be sure the encounter is legitimate or an impersonation because you know telltales of a vehicle belonging to law enforcement.
They’re supposed to be discreet on the job, but we can all do ourselves a favor through situational awareness. There’s nothing terribly tricky about it if you know what to look for. Stay alert with these 12 subtle gives of unmarked police cars.
Spotlights
A spotlight is a powerful adjustable light typically mounted outside the car near the driver’s side window. These lights can easily pass as aftermarket mods on a personal automobile, but they’re one of the loudest telltales of unmarked police cars.
In fact, spotlights are the first hints you should look for because officers need them to illuminate specific areas at night or in low-light conditions without necessarily leaving the safety of the vehicle. They’re usually round and designed to pivot in various directions. They are also mounted on the front or rear part of the roof for broader illumination, but those are less common.
Antennas
There are critically necessary tools for any job, no matter how discreet you want to be about it. Antennas are in that category for police work. How else can officers manage real-time tracking, navigation, and communication with dispatch centers and other units? The mobile police car needs antennas for MDTs (Mobile Data Terminals) to run your license plate, access databases, and get real-time info.
Not every car you see with an antenna is an unmarked police car. Personal cars feature them for radio or GPS, but the telltale for law enforcement is the presence of multiple of them in various sizes and shapes on one vehicle.
Dark Tinted Windows
This one is a bit tricky because tints aren’t exclusive to police cars. Although you can’t have a hundred percent guarantee of accuracy, here’s how you can make the distinction. Cop cars tend to have uniform tint levels covering all windows equally. In the United States, the law allows non-reflective tints on the top few inches (usually 4 to 6 inches) for the front windshield. Anything lower might be a warning sign of an unmarked.
For the front side windows, the tint usually can’t be darker than 70 to 50 percent on the VLT (Visibility Light Transmission) scale. In other words, very dark tints are usually a sign of cops, MVPs, or the Al Capones. It depends on the jurisdiction, but states typically allow darker tints on the rear side and rear windows.
Steel Wheels
Even if it were a Crown Victoria with its no-nonsense, utilitarian design, wide track, and HID (High-Intensity Discharge) headlights, it’s probably a taxi and not a sports car if it completes the design with alloy wheels or something flashier.
A proper cop car always sticks with steel wheels with unique hubcaps. They’re the choice for durability and ability to withstand the frequent curb-hopping involved in police work. So, when next a cop says you looked down on them, tell them you’re just checking out their wheels.
Oddly Placed Equipment
They may not all be critical, but the tools of the job often have equal importance and must be brought along on the job. Unmarked police cars often have laptop mounts, police radios, and dash cameras. You might also notice the unusual placement of these equipment in locations atypical of civvies.
The biggest hint here is the MDT. You can spot it on the dash or center stack of a cop car. They need it for report writing, talking to dispatch, and accessing databases. Along with the MDT are other equipment like radios with mics, small cameras on the dash and windshields, visible wirings running along the dash, and license plate readers.
Grilles and Bumper Guards
This one isn’t a given, but police cars likely feature custom heavy-duty grilles and/or reinforced rear bumper guards that set them apart from regular road cars that don’t have to go on hot pursuits. The difference between this and regular aftermarket mods is that reinforced bumpers on cop cars are never elaborate or stylized designs.
Instead, the design is straightforward and functional. Some provide even more protection, featuring a wraparound design extending around the vehicle’s front corners. To be certain, look for small, hidden LED lights within the grille.
Government Plates
Government plates or exclusive registration tags can be another telltale on unmarked police cars. Even if you miss the government label (such as “Official Use Only” or “Government”) or state seal/emblem on them, you can still spot the difference from their unique format.
They typically use a unique numbering or lettering system that differentiates them from regular civilian plates. It could be a combination of letters and numbers following a unique pattern and/or a unique color scheme.
Hidden Emergency Lights
We already mentioned this before, but the grille isn’t the only place you should be on the lookout for hidden emergency lights. Though designed to be inconspicuous until activated, you can also spot them on the dash near the windshield, attached to the sun visor, built into the side mirrors, or mounted on the rear deck below the rear window.
Besides these tiny LED lights, unmarked police cars may also feature built-in flashers in the headlights and taillights. Their unique flash patterns differentiate them from regular vehicles on the road.
Driving Patterns
Do cops drive a certain way? Actually, yes, they do. While on duty, they do not always drive like the rest of us going to work or dropping off the kids at school. Cops may hide in unmarked cars but can’t help driving like someone on the job. How would you drive scanning the neighborhood or monitoring traffic from a car?
That’s the driving pattern you want to look out for — pacing the flow of traffic, frequent or seemingly reckless lane changes, side-by-side driving, “boy scout” use of turn signals, adherence to traffic laws, discreet parking patterns, unexpected movements like sudden stops and turns, and monitoring point positions such as near highway on-ramps, off-ramps, or major intersections.
Unusual Configurations
Be suspicious of cars with unusual configurations, such as extra switches or buttons on the dash. Just because it’s a Ford Taurus, Expedition, or Dodge Durango does not mean you should let your guard down. We’ve already mentioned aftermarket mods, such as mounts for laptops or tablet-like devices in the center stack or dashboard area.
Multiple radios or communication devices strategically positioned within easy reach of the driver and front passenger are also telltale configurations in a cop car — marked or unmarked. The more obvious features are the sirens and light controls, but you should also check for secure lockboxes or compartments.
These are likely for stashing firearms and other such equipment, and you can usually spot them from outside the vehicle. Extra storage compartments or organizers missing in the same model in your garage mean they aren’t the same.
Cleanliness
Yes, police cars don’t have snouts. They’re usually clean and well-maintained to the point of clinical appearance. Cop cars often lack the inviting ambiance common in civilian automobiles, devoid of personal items or decorations.
They have this bland look that immediately suggests they’re professional cars for an institution and nothing more. The departments always adhere to strict maintenance schedules to ensure optimum performance.
Uniformed Officers Inside
Even if you miss every warning sign on this list, you can’t miss the presence of officers in uniform inside the car. That’s if the windows aren’t tinted.
Uniformed officers are more likely to be found in marked cars as a visible warning or deterrence, making their presence known in a possible crime scene and reassuring the public of their safety. Some might feel safer talking to uniforms than plain-clothed officers in unmarked cars.
