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Impersonating Police officers... Ish

AIbandit

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
Chico, CA
This vehicle was flashing Amber and Clear emergency lights at me. It has one light bar above it's rear view and another in the rear window. It has a alley/dummy light on it's drivers side a pillar aswell.

I reported it to the state troopers and EPD when it got off on Everett mall way.
24638da0.jpg


If it doesn't have blue don't pull over but get out of its way. Then call 911!


White Chevy Impala WA plates 417-ZAJ
Driver was bald white and fat.

This Tool needs to be caught.
 
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That guy strip-searched me for 4 hours the other night. So you're saying he wasn't a real cop?! FAWK!!
 
For the record, its completely legal to have amber and clear. I've got both in my rear window and ambers behind the mirror in the front. I don't use them while driving though
 
What do you use them for?

If he's anything like me, he pulls over to the side of the highway to help people. In those cases, you want to attract as much attention to yourself as possible.

WHITE = Attention-getter. Can be put on any vehicle.
YELLOW = Caution. Can be put on any vehicle.
RED = Emergency. Reserved for PD/Fire/EMS
BLUE = Law Enforcement. PD only.

It is also perfectly legal (generally speaking) to add flashers to your headlamps and taillamps, provided you do not flash the CHMSL. That circuit must be left alone (if present) under FMVSS. For everything else, just check your state's Vehicle Code for guidance - there's always a section on lighting allowed.

Having yellow/white doesn't necessarily mean you're impersonating a cop - if he had blue, then it would be a problem. Even red can be borderline. Besides, I see a lot of City vehicles and City workers in POVs driving around with Yellow/White flash-packs, so how do you know this wasn't a City worker driving his POV, and forgot to shut the flashers off?
 
For the record, its completely legal to have amber and clear. I've got both in my rear window and ambers behind the mirror in the front. I don't use them while driving though

Legal to have, but illegal to use on the roads while driving unless its to display a hazard such as being stuck on the ride of the road or driving behind a wide load, etc.

I too have an amber strobe. Heck, just yesterday I pulled over to help a stranded vehicle and strobes are nice for that.

~Scott

EDIT: 5-90 got it first.
 
Legal to have, but illegal to use on the roads while driving unless its to display a hazard such as being stuck on the ride of the road or driving behind a wide load, etc.

I too have an amber strobe. Heck, just yesterday I pulled over to help a stranded vehicle and strobes are nice for that.

Aren't drunks attracted to blinking lights? Thats why you all have them in your rig...;)
 
Legal to have, but illegal to use on the roads while driving unless its to display a hazard such as being stuck on the ride of the road or driving behind a wide load, etc.

This

I was adjacent to the vehicle for 20 miles or so. He turned them on passed me then shut them off.

Which is illegal.

I said impersonating ISH because there was no blue.

But it was a
White chevy impala (cops use)
Alley lights on the a pillar (cops use)
light bars (cops use)

anyone that does this is a tool. With a jeep fine, but this is clearly an attempt to look like a cop and use it to pass people.
 
For the record, its completely legal to have amber and clear. I've got both in my rear window and ambers behind the mirror in the front. I don't use them while driving though

What do you use them for?


For all the sweet techno raves up in the hills of course. :party:
 
This

I was adjacent to the vehicle for 20 miles or so. He turned them on passed me then shut them off.

Which is illegal.

I said impersonating ISH because there was no blue.

But it was a
White chevy impala (cops use)
Alley lights on the a pillar (cops use)
light bars (cops use)

anyone that does this is a tool. With a jeep fine, but this is clearly an attempt to look like a cop and use it to pass people.

A-pillar spots and bars? Just playing Devil's advocate, but are you quite sure it wasn't a City vehicle? Not all City vehicles have distinctive plates, y'know...

Besides, A-pillar spots themselves aren't any trouble at all - I've driven several work trucks that had them.
 
i thought anyone who drove an impala (excluding the older ones) still lived with there mom lol and would be concidered a weirdo :roll: IMO of course
 
A-pillar spots and bars? Just playing Devil's advocate, but are you quite sure it wasn't a City vehicle? Not all City vehicles have distinctive plates, y'know...

Besides, A-pillar spots themselves aren't any trouble at all - I've driven several work trucks that had them.

Even if it was a city vehicle he shouldn't me hitting his lights on people.
 
oh, you mean like when i play 'fireman'

:p

IMG_1362.jpg


just kidding, of course.
i got this light bar for a project at work.
had to put it on the jeep when i picked it up from shipping/receiving.

just to see what it would look like.
 
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Ok first off, forgive me, i am a cop so i have to throw my two cents in, red and blue are illegal on any citizen owned vehicle period. Even volunteer firefighters cant have em. They use green lights. And second yes yellow and white are legal to have on your car. And yes this guy may have been a city worker, but it is illegal to use those lights to pass some one, run a red light etc when you are not acting in your "official capacity."
 
Yep. I have a small led amber lightbar in the rear window of my XJ for SAR and some Whelen hideaways in the front. The only time that I can use it while rolling is to protect people doing road searches. Rules are pretty clear. There is great sensitivity to people using "official" looking lights for anything while not on a mission and even then it needs to be by the book.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=204-21-130
 
Exactly, they are really strict on the red and blue though. Even those led lights that are on the tire stems, or the led windshield washer squirters. But i dont blame them, they had a deal here in pierce county where a car with red and blue lights was actually pulling people over then they would get robbed. Unless it is a fully marked patrol car i would be hesitant. You never know these days. If that was a city worker using his strobes and yellow lights to get through traffic faster thats just wrong!
 
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