I’ve got a lot of friends in Law Enforcement, including a brother. It’s very hazardous for them to make a traffic stop because of other traffic. Lots of cops have been hit because of this, and the resulting interview of the drivers that hit the cops always comes down to “They didn’t see them.”
Also, there has been a lot of cases where Fake Cops pull people over and kill or rob them or just get their jollies off acting like cops.
For the concern of Officer and Public Safety, I think all Law Enforcement Vehicles where the Officer may make a traffic stop… I propose a simple idea. All vehicles driven by Officers who are authorized to make a traffic stop, County, City and State… Nation Wide… All vehicles should be painted High Vis Green.
Don’t like this idea? Tough. This is for Safety, so get used to it!
Don’t like this idea? Tough. This is for Safety, so get used to it!
This has been proven to work in the UK!
This way, Motorists can see the Police Officer from farther away, and be mindful of Officer Safety.
You are not against Officer Safety are you? Public safety is better as well.
You are not against Officer Safety are you? Public safety is better as well.
Let’s extend this to all Emergency Vehicles as well. Firetrucks have been rolling in High Vis Green for some time now, with reduced accidents because of it. So only Law Enforcement and Emergency Vehicles should allowed to sport High Vis Green. So if someone tries to pull you over, and he’s not rolling HVG… Call a real Cop. If a Cop sees a guy trying to pull someone over and he’s not rolling HVG, he knows something is wrong.
Hey, this is for SAFETY. So get with the program, or you are NOT SAFE!
We should implement this nationwide starting next month, with full implementation by Jan 1 2013.
‘Proven to work in the UK’ – not a phrase you’ll hear often.
However,the UK police do operate some vehicles that don’t have high-vis markings. These are totally unmarked, with their blue warning lights also concealled until active and they are authorised to pull over motorists. But any vehicle that actually has ‘Police’ marked on it has clear high-vis markings.
I’ve even seen examples of high-vis body armour for officers.
“Also, there has been a lot of cases where Fake Cops pull people over and kill or rob them or just get their jollies off acting like cops.”
Source for this please.
These kind of vests have been issued by most depts., for nearly a decade Ogre
You mean like this story?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/mississippi-cops-warn-drivers-stopping-homicidal-fake-cop/story?id=16349688
I think Ogre is being a bit tongue-in-cheek but criminals dressing up as cops does happen.
We’ve had ongoing problems with posers stopping people up here in Seattle. It’s NOT a myth.
As far as high-vis, I don’t have a problem with it. I’d get the high-vis jackets or coats from uniform suppliers, but my department won’t authorize them. Instead, they issue the safety vests, which are impractical.
“does happen” is not the same at all as “a lot” but I can deal…
I would hate to clear a house wearing a safety green uniform or jacket. You would still need lower profile and unmarked units. These would not do well if they were hi viz green and they do end up pulling over cars pretty often.
Typically, the individual who’s clearing a house is probably not also issuing traffic citations. In the event that he is, he’d just have to put on a vest when doing traffic work…
Actually, that’s not true. Patrol Officers routinely do both. And, when clearing a house, we don’t do it ninja style. We announce ourselves, and continue to loudly announce as we proceed through the building. Hi vis can just be another identifier, like our uniforms.
Okay, I should have been more clear that those who clear houses quietly and stealthily (eg, responding to hostage situations or such), do not tend to be the same ones who give out traffic tickets.
I’m not trying to be a dick, but, what are you talking about? Houses/buildings, regardless of the situation, are almost never cleared “quietly and stealthily”. The only time I have seen it used was in the academy in 1991. It was stupid then, and it is now. We announce. We stay identifiable as PD. Identification is critical.
If you are alluding to SWAT being stealthy, in my 21 years of being on the job, I’ve never seen SWAT enter a building that didn’t include loud announcements, sometimes explosive breaching, usually a shitload of teargas rounds, hours of being outside on PAs announcing, rams, and so on…
Yeah, poor word choice, again. I was thinking of “loud” colors when I wrote “quietly.”
You may announce loudly that you’re there, but you generally don’t want to be highly-visible when coming around a corner, if you might potentially be taking fire.
Loudly announcing yourself (particularly if a lot of folks are doing it at the same time) doesn’t make you a target. Wearing fluorescent green makes it easy to see you, which makes it easy to aim at you.
We wear readily identifiable uniforms, with shiny buttons and badges and nameplates, and 8 point hats with a shiny badge on it. We have jackets with reflective POLICE and patches all over them. I have heard some Officers complain about that making them a target. I have heard more call them out on the BS of them wanting to be dressed down in tacticalninja gear everyday. We have a legal requirement to be readily identifiable as Police. We rely on our distinctive uniforms to be able to identify each other on critical scenes. I not only have experienced this myself, many times, but, I also know one Officer who almost smoked another Officer if it weren’t for his 8 point hat that identified him. Again, my position is based on 21 years of experience doing the job. It is very easy to perpetuate fallacy of concept, such as the whole targeting thing, from a position of inexperience or no experience.
Good idea.
I would like it to be easyer to see traffic cops. For another reason though.
On my first visit to UT I saw a new mustang (this was 2005 or so) on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. It was a subdued purple grey color. I slowed to see if the driver was alright. It was Utah Highway Patrol. The grey stickers that would typically say BOSS said UHP. It was very disturbing (for a habitual speeder). Between dusk and dawn this car could be easly unseen and be hit by someone just pulling over due to fatigue.
In most depts, patrol clears buildings and issues tickets although neither is their main function, and vests are commonly used for traffic control.
This reads a bit like George just got a speeding ticket…
You could have a flashing neon green and yellow sign pointing towards the officer and a drunk or texting driver wouldn’t see them. The color of the vehicle in the breakdown lane isn’t it issue, it’s the person driving that isn’t paying attention.
If it saves just one officer’s life…