Maryland State Police

Setec Astronomy · 02-20-07, 05:44

Was driving up 95 today, saw 5 cruisers pulled over behind a U-Haul (and one in front of it)...except the first 2 cruisers were unmarked Mustangs, one current body style one older (rest were Crown Vics; two perps on the ground handcuffed). Next turnaround in the median, were two black Ford SUV's (Explorers or Expeditions), one with the passenger door open and a trooper(?) leaning in the door, wearing a baseball cap and jersey-type shirt, I dunno if that's just what they wear in the unmarked vehicles (rather than the more formal uniforms) or if they were some Tac guys or something that were called out for the U-Haul bust. Anyway, some pretty funky unmarked vehicles, you MD guys have any comment?

It was a pretty exciting trip, plenty of LEO's all the way back to Jersey, including some unmarked Crown Vics in NJ, even one lasering out the window (saw a marked car doing that too). Oh, and a tractor-trailer lying on its side on the shoulder, wheels away from the road....line of wreckers waiting to try and right it.

truzoom · 02-20-07, 06:40

Pulled over U-Haul? Must have been a drug bust...or Canadians smuggling maple leaves into the U.S.////

Setec Astronomy · 02-20-07, 06:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by truzoom

Pulled over U-Haul? Must have been a drug bust...or Canadians smuggling maple leaves into the U.S.////

They were northbound. 95 is always a good place to catch illicit traffic, being pretty much a direct corridor from FL to New England.

SpoiledMan · 02-20-07, 06:46

Mike, you'd be surprised at the stuff that the UC's drive at times. I see an LAPD UC in an Accord with dark tinted windows from time to time. He fits in well in the LA area.

Setec Astronomy · 02-20-07, 06:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpoiledMan

Mike, you'd be surprised at the stuff that the UC's drive at times. I see an LAPD UC in an Accord with dark tinted windows from time to time. He fits in well in the LA area.

Well, we may have discussed this before, but the DB's certainly drive all kinds of stuff, we had a SP superintendant here for 12 years or so who didn't believe in unmarked patrol cars, so that was a nice respite. UC/DB is one thing, highway patrol is another, I kinda like 'em marked, seems "fairer", in the cops vs. speeders arena, anyway.

DaGonz · 02-20-07, 07:03

The Massachusetts State Police has a few unmarked 2006/07 Mustang GT's. They are mostly used on the Mass Turnpike. The last batch I saw going to MHQ ( they are a vender of muncipal vehilces, they carry Ford and Daimler Chrysler vehicles and sell and service evrything from police cars to dump trucks) were windveil blue, black and grabber orange.

The only way to tell if they are Staties are the two small strobes on the rear interior deck. The blue strobes are incorporated into the foglights.

The members of the Hazardous Devices unit, the Truck Team and those troppers assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office all have black Expeditions with tinted windows and no markings... They don't have State Police plates .. total stealth machines.

There are also "semimarked" cruisers... they are in the State PD colors (French blue and Navy Blue), but don't have a lightbar.

SpoiledMan · 02-20-07, 07:06

CA law says that they(Highway Patrol) have to be marked and with certain colors. It's possible that that has changed but I doubt it. There was a local department some years back that had to "undo" many tickets as the motorcycles weren't properly marked.

Setec Astronomy · 02-20-07, 07:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaGonz

There are also "semimarked" cruisers... they are in the State PD colors (French blue and Navy Blue), but don't have a lightbar.

NJ was heavy into that early, the State Police started it with the no-lightbar, no front/back markings, only the doors(what they refer to as "stealth" cars)...most of the local PD's followed suit (usually the locals have the front/back marking, although the town where I work had a "traffic" unit that only had markings on the doors, I almost clocked a uniform one evening when he was in the middle of the lane with someone pulled over but forgot the rear strobes, I couldn't see the perp through his Expedition, and he popped out the door while I was going around him

paul34 · 02-20-07, 07:30

heh, we have basically every make here (domestic make, although I hear there's a department somewhere that uses two Jettas!). Chargers, Cherokees, tauruses, windstars, segways! Oh, and the Camaro... FHP uses those.

ifoam · 02-21-07, 05:33

our poor city has a corvette that I only see them use during parades

PrinzII · 02-21-07, 07:47

Illinois State Police have the following:

Mustang GT (Mostly older body style)
Camaro & Z28
Charger
Firebird (Looked like a WS-6)
Grand Prix GTP
Explorer
Crown Vic
Expedition
Tahoe
Monte Carlo
Impala
Caravan

Many unmarked cars in IL have the typical state police plate (White with brown lettering and following a format of XX-XX (District/Division - Car Number). We are especially nervous about the tollway troopers (District 15) which tend to be more aggressive and the ones from Effingham to Cairo.

Illinois did this because they started a Road Rage campaign against aggressive drivers in the late 90s.

Some of the unmarked sports cars in the fleet are VERY hard to detect because they run civilian plates, no tint, and the lights are 100% stealth until they are flipped on. The only exception to that rule was a green Monte Carlo with a license plate of D XX XXX because it had tint. A few of the Mustangs have front and rear radar. Additionally, IL will switch the plates around to keep you guessing.

Chicago PD does not use unmarked cars in traffic patrol. However, the easiest way to spot a traffic unit in Chicago is looking at the beat card on the light bar. If it starts with a 32, it is traffic. Chicago has only 25 districts.

IN has unmarked Camaros and they are heavily tinted with a lot of antennas.

PrinzII · 02-21-07, 07:47

So far, AZ DPS has mostly marked cars but I did see someone get nailed with an unmarked (Mineral Gray) Crown Vic on 60.