Police Car disguised as a Taxi?!?!

[Iphido]

I wasn't sure if you thought it was real or not.. Ive done simular things before and people haven't quiet gotten the joke...

It is sneaky policing. I don't really see the need for it. Normal unmarked are fine.

Wonder if there is a law against making your car/taxi look like a police vechical. Two window mount antenna (CB/Phone) some LED lights behind headrests (make them yellow or something so they are legal) etc. Because thats exactly what I am thinking of doing. I need CB radio/wifi (may also add a scanner) anyway, and LED would provide additional lighting for cameras mounted front and rear.

Anyone half observant can pick a unmarked police car from over a 1km away. Late model, two antenna (usually) the lights, one or two people in it. Usually base model or sports varients. No options, regular number plate. Im always looking at driver shirts. Police shirts just sit diffrently, and wearing haiwaiian shirts over the top doesn't work that well.

Which is most likely why they have gone taxi.

If you are observant enought, you get to know the vechicals pretty well in a region. Even the deep undercover european, taxis, etc.

[james22]

Originally Posted by Psycho Chicken

For all the kiddies who watch too much Law and Order, there's no such thing as entrapment in Australia.

So what do you call it when in orange here, the SS commodore with the coppers in it, cover their uniforms up, then actually drag you down the street. Once you get to the end they pull you up and book you for Speeding, Neg Driving, etc etc.
Now you tell me that isnt Entrapment?

[XA-Coupe]

ENTRAPMENT IS NOT A DEFENCE IN AUSTRALIA !!!! please, everyone... give up. This isn't america and this isn't LA Law, Rafferty's Rules or some other POS show.
Every time this comes up the same old tired arguments get wheeled out. If you race a cop .. you lose .. end of story. You can whine and carry on in front of the magistrate but in the end, you lose... so don't do it!.
There also seems to be some illusion that all unmarked cars do is book people for speeding. It's obvious that only one other person in this thread has the slightest clue about what actually goes on in the police force.
So much hysteria and paranoia... everyone, just sit there with the alfoil hats on, we know where you are and are sending a black unmarked helicopter .. sorry, taxi, to come and get you.

[james22]

xa coupe, so your telling me that isnt entrapment. I'm not using it as a defense. The FACT is, you look at my post. That IS Entrapment. Look it up. And as a matter of fact, the person I was talking about got away scott free, the magistrate did NOT agree with the police tactics. The END

[LTD Spyder]

Originally Posted by stiddy

heya all,

This evening on my way home (sydney), I saw a Taxi, a normal BA taxi. Odd thing is I looked at is as I drove past and I saw the copper l.e.d blue/red lights in the rear window, on the dash, on either side of the TAXI sign on the roof and 2 uniformed policemen inside, I saw the blue shirts with badges.

Thought I was seeing things till they gave chase to an unsuspecting hoon.. Looked kinda weird seeing a taxi take off after someone.

Just thought id share that with you all. Surely thats not legal?

Did they have turbans on......

[merlin]

Originally Posted by nugget378

The issue is not that they are doing they're job,enforcing the law,the issue is its sneaky,and the cynical among us see it as just another form of revenue raising.
Is it not better to prevent crime,than clean up after the fact?

Agree 100%.

Some people are extremley gullible at swallowing the whole speeding propaganda. Hook line and sinker.

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by james22

xa coupe, so your telling me that isnt entrapment. I'm not using it as a defense. The FACT is, you look at my post. That IS Entrapment. Look it up. And as a matter of fact, the person I was talking about got away scott free, the magistrate did NOT agree with the police tactics. The END

James the point you are missing is that the police are allowed to use entrampment tactics as it isn't illegal...

What they are doing is called entrapment in the US but not here in Australia!

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by james22

xa coupe, so your telling me that isnt entrapment. I'm not using it as a defense. The FACT is, you look at my post. That IS Entrapment. Look it up. And as a matter of fact, the person I was talking about got away scott free, the magistrate did NOT agree with the police tactics. The END

James, did you even read the definition of entrapment?

I'll save you the skim read - the key point is that to entrap someone requires you to encourage someone who DID NOT INTEND TO BREAK THE LAW to do something illegal.

It is not entrapment. People sprung by undercovers were not coerced into doing something illegal. They break the law under their own accord. Just because they didnt know it was a cop car - does not make it entrapment.

The fact that we dont have an entrapment law on the books is irrelevant. This is not entrapment.

So what do you call it when in orange here, the SS commodore with the coppers in it, cover their uniforms up, then actually drag you down the street. Once you get to the end they pull you up and book you for Speeding, Neg Driving, etc etc.
Now you tell me that isnt Entrapment?

Listen real good. That is not entrapement. If you decide to drag the SS commodore - you do so of your own accord. If they werent police, you would still have done it.

They did not induce you - you decided to drag them!!!

If the police rolled down their window and said "excuse me sir, would you mind taking off from these lights very quickly?", then proceed to book you - then it would be entrapment (not that it would matter as there's no law against it).

I DO care how the police exercise their considerable powers. To NOT care is to invite them to abuse their powers and to give our few remaining rights and freedoms to the state. Where do you think dictatorships originate?

We are talking about the police using sneaky tactics to catch kids who probably shouldnt be on the road anyway. I support them in doing so - as would a lot of people.

We are not talking about a shocking infringement of civil liberties. We're talking about police catching hoons.

To oppose the behaviour because of "what else they might do" is a joke.

It's traffic policing dude, calm down!

[GTjake]

Belive it or not, I support the police force, to a degree.
They have a bloody hard job and mostly they do it very well.

However, as has been said, they DO have considerable powers and beacuase of that, it is very easy for the rest of us to feel they are enforcing laws unfairly.
Public perception of misallocation of police resources is part of that.

Where I live, on a weekend night, you're more likely to be done for speeding on a virtually deserted road 15mins out of town rather than be nicked for kicking some poor buggers ears of his head in the main street.
Why? Cops dont want to patrol the city like they used to. Too hard (yes, 1 said that!).
Going on a donut run with the radar gun is easier. And the radar keeps them warm too.
I dont know if thats the police choice or the "quota system" we have for traffic offences.

If thats just "traffic policing", well, is it a bit TOO selective in what actions are policed?

[JC]

Originally Posted by stiddy

But boys in blue using a taxi? come on. : its stupid.

Actually, it's far from stupid. Let's say there are 10 taxis on the road for every cop car. You know that there is at least one cop car dressed as a taxi, so effectively instead of having one visual sign to slow down (marked car), there are now 11.

What this does is keep drivers guessing every time they see a cab (well, the ones that know that there is a cop car dressed as a cab anyway), and is actually a very effective way of enforcing the road rules passively, because drivers will now see a taxi and wonder if it could be a cop, so they may actually look at what speed they are doing, and what sort of driver behaviour they are displaying (aggressiveness, stupidity, hooning etc). So what you have done with this thread is actually enhance the effect of the cop car dressed as a cab - I'm sure the police would be very grateful to you for the free advertising and education campaign provided herein.

Having said that, I wouldn't pull over if a cab toots/flashes you, unless it has the red and blue lights, or pull over in a public place, like an open servo, or maccas etc - just in case it's not a cop, and just an idiot in a cab.

[JC]

Originally Posted by Iphido

Anyone half observant can pick a unmarked police car from over a 1km away. Late model, two antenna (usually) the lights, one or two people in it. Usually base model or sports varients. No options, regular number plate. Im always looking at driver shirts. Police shirts just sit diffrently, and wearing haiwaiian shirts over the top doesn't work that well.

You keep looking for those cars, and you'll miss a heap of cop cars. I've seen unmarked cars that have been lowered below SS/XR8 spec. I've seen them with big hayman reece tow hitches, tinted windows, weather shields, mud flaps, no mudflaps, no aerials, aerials hidden at the back of the rear bar (pointing to the ground), etc etc. A few years ago, I was even stopped by a policeman in a little 10 year old Toyota corolla; probably his personal car, but he was in uniform and just gave me a warning for screeching the tyres at a set of lights - had the stereo up too loud and didn't realise I'd even broken traction. It's not like I was doing a burnout.

The message is, the police can and do everything in their power to enforce the road rules most of the time; and this includes the use of disguised and unmarked cars. Some people who drive like they don't deserve a licence (and I may or may not be one of those people) may resent it when they are pulled over but a policeman in a not-so-obvious cop car, but they are just doing their job. Think about it; no-one likes sacking another person, but for some people, it is part of their job. So the police have good and bad in their jobs, and things they like and dislike doing, just likje the rest of us. If people on the roads weren't such idiots, police resources could be used to eliminate crime, followed by drought, famine etc. We have police because we need them, without them, we have anarchy.

[OLDFORDNUT]

Originally Posted by angelwithinvisiblewings

I'm not being a smart **** just wondering what you mean...what have the Aussie cops done? An example...


I'm just trying hard to think of something myself for the sake of understanding the entrapment theory and the actual meaning of the word.

when i was a teenager the cops in Elwood Vic, used to challenge others to drag in hotted up cars that were probably there own and booked you when you took off ahead of them.there is dozens of examples of this behavior, they even got people to sell drugs and equipment to make powders and then booked the very people they conned into doing it, Vic drug squad were disbanded at one stage as there was thousands of kg's grass and pounds of heroin unaccounted for.this is not here say, look up your newspaper archives and you will find several stories .

[4.9 EF Futura]

[QUOTE=nicholas]when i was a teenager the cops in Elwood Vic, used to challenge others to drag in hotted up cars that were probably there own and booked you when you took off ahead of them.[/qoute]

For the last time. I'll say it slowly.

That

Is

Not

Entrapment.

there is dozens of examples of this behavior, they even got people to sell drugs and equipment to make powders and then booked the very people they conned into doing it, Vic drug squad were disbanded at one stage as there was thousands of kg's grass and pounds of heroin unaccounted for.this is not here say, look up your newspaper archives and you will find several stories .

That, however, is lol.

[RCM MasterTech]

Its all a matter of knowing your rights IMO, example, I got pulled over in Kurri Kurri for speeding (my bad) and the constable tried to tell me my LHR Tyre was illegal(bald). I asked him what qualifications he held that made him capable of making this allegation, without acting like a smart****, a reasonable question, when I explained to him that I was an authorised examiner and that I knew the legal limits for tyres and that the tyre was still within RTA regulations, he dropped it.

I bet had I been doing 84kph instead of 96kph in that 70 zone he wouldnt even have looked sideways at me, whereas in Victoria I could have been doing 71kph and pulled over. Zero tollerance in Victoria is a joke, we are supposed to have consistant Australia wide road rules now, you can U-turn at lights in NSW now, because of these so called consistant rules, so why not consistant policing.

I dont think I'd stop for a taxi or unmarked with flashing lights, they would have to just put up with following me home, there have been cases of people being robbed or even killed by perps impersonating a police officer, and thats what I would argue in court.

As for police improving rd safety, what a joke..... especially hiding behind this revenue raising technique, if just 1% of the revenue raised went back into actually making the roads safer, instead of advertising and paying police wages, every road in Australia would be divided, roundabouts wouldnt exist, every vehicle would be subject to far more stringent tests than NSW registration regulation, every vehicle would have speed limiters, and the police would actually book people who do 70 in 100 zone, drivers over a certaian age would have reaction times tested, licencing would be a lot more stringent and at a higher age(maturity/responsibility)level, vehicles would be fitted with distance actuated brakes, rds would be closed and bipassed for repairs, so you dont wind up with accidents like happened here recently where 6 cars crashed into the back of vehicles stopped at rd works in a pea souper, well before any rd works signs.

I remember reading a headline that said "Killer 4wd", the article tried to blame the type of vehicle for a 3 year old kid being killed, a 3 year old kid who ran across a road, a 3 year old kid whose mum wasnt supervising him properly, imagine what the bloke driving the 4wd went through, and the driving charges he faced because the mother was negligent in her responsibilities, and the newspapers couldnt see who the real culprit was, thats disgusting, yet all to common.

Despite all the advertising that says "Speeding Kills", its stupidity that does this, not concentrating on the road around you, not being aware that the gun your driving is loaded, not planning ahead, not knowing how a vehicle reacts to situations, etc etc. If it was just speeding that killed, the ratio of deaths on the racetrack compared to deaths on the road would be equal, but that just isnt the case. If the advertising said "Distractions Kill" that would be far more feasable, take your eyes off the road at 100kph for 1 second and you have travelled 27.7 metres.

Taxi/cop cars are nothing more than revenue raising ideas, prevention is the only cure and that means police presence on the roads, better driver training, stoping poor advertising campaigns and getting it right. Any police officer that tells you different is brainwashed (see stockholm syndrome) to thinking they are doing effective police work by attempting to raise more revenue. IMO if the cops were doing their job effectively, the road tolls would be far lower, who has followed behnd a cop car doing 70 in a 60 zone, or overtaken one doing 110 in a 100 zone, I have done both.....I've also been let off by a local copper who knew where I worked (lol) despite the fact I was doing 90 in a 60 zone.......

[RCM MasterTech]

Originally Posted by james22

So what do you call it when in orange here, the SS commodore with the coppers in it, cover their uniforms up, then actually drag you down the street. Once you get to the end they pull you up and book you for Speeding, Neg Driving, etc etc.
Now you tell me that isnt Entrapment?

No, its not entrapment, but if they dont have the sireens going once they reach the speed limit, they are breaking the law also, make a citizen charge of speeding on the police officer, call another cop and demand they book them.......lol hehe, they must have been speedin or they wouldnt know you was speeding......book him dano........

[Redrum]

Originally Posted by stiddy

heya all,

This evening on my way home (sydney), I saw a Taxi, a normal BA taxi. Odd thing is I looked at is as I drove past and I saw the copper l.e.d blue/red lights in the rear window, on the dash, on either side of the TAXI sign on the roof and 2 uniformed policemen inside, I saw the blue shirts with badges.

Thought I was seeing things till they gave chase to an unsuspecting hoon.. Looked kinda weird seeing a taxi take off after someone.

Just thought id share that with you all. Surely thats not legal?

Why would it be illegal? To be disguised as a taxi must be the worst insult though................. :gren:

[JC]

Originally Posted by RCM MasterTech

As for police improving rd safety, what a joke........ prevention is the only cure and that means police presence on the roads

Just taking these 2 statements, the police cars dressed up as taxis is defacto presence - ie it makes people wonder if that taxi up ahead is in fact a police car. It's a genius idea, I reckon!

[XA-Coupe]

this thread has got funny, James.. you crack me up

[Zephyr]

This could just be an old man talking but why can't we have Police in police cars fining offenders (not just speeders), this will show the public that they are serious about road safety.
Instead of wasting time and money in making taxi cop cars.

[the black pig]

Originally Posted by JC

Just taking these 2 statements, the police cars dressed up as taxis is defacto presence - ie it makes people wonder if that taxi up ahead is in fact a police car. It's a genius idea, I reckon!

Its not a deterrent unless everyone's aware the police could be hiding in the taxi behind them or in front of them. And the police aren't telling anyone that they're sneaking around in taxis. So from that perspective, its a useless idea.

And even if the cops did a publicity blitz, it's still not a deterrent to the hoons because how may normal taxis are on the road for every taxi with cops hiding in it? Hundreds, if not thousands. So what're the odds?

So from a policing point of view, it's a bad idea. From a 'making our roads safer' point of view, it's a waste of resources. From a 'trust and respect your police force' angle, it's counter-productive. Only from a revenue raising point of view does it have any merit, and that is outweighed by so many other negatives that one has to wonder, who was the moron who came up with it. Who?

[XA-Coupe]

Originally Posted by Zephyr

This could just be an old man talking but why can't we have Police in police cars fining offenders (not just speeders), this will show the public that they are serious about road safety.
Instead of wasting time and money in making taxi cop cars.

How do you know that catching speeders is all they do ?? Every one assumes this is all the police do but most people woudln't have a clue.

[angelwithinvisiblewings]

Originally Posted by the black pig

You don't care how our police behave? You don't care if they show no respect to the society they are supposed to serve? You don't care if they ignore and break the law in catching law breakers? You don't care if they endanger or hurt innocent people?

I DO care how the police exercise their considerable powers. To NOT care is to invite them to abuse their powers and to give our few remaining rights and freedoms to the state. Where do you think dictatorships originate?

Let's not go to extreme of course I care!!!!!!...I meant more along the lines of if they want to use a taxi fine. God that's not hurting anyone....I didn't mean it so literally

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by Redrum

Why would it be illegal? To be disguised as a taxi must be the worst insult though................. :gren:

Hey Redrum... Maybe your new cruiser? :

[Charliewool]

And a hat, of course ( for undercover jobs)

[Psycho Chicken]

Originally Posted by james22

So what do you call it when in orange here, the SS commodore with the coppers in it, cover their uniforms up, then actually drag you down the street. Once you get to the end they pull you up and book you for Speeding, Neg Driving, etc etc.
Now you tell me that isnt Entrapment?

I call that policing. Are you trying to suggest your mate (or whoever it was) wouldn't of dragged the car if it wasn't a police car?

The magistrate let him off? The magistrate is a pansy and the exact reason the justice system is a joke. He might as well of said traffic light drags are fine by me, just watch out for late model SS Commodores and XR8s.

Incase you missed it;

Originally Posted by Psycho Chicken

http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/r...-95/95rn47.pdf

Entrapment is NOT a valid legal defence in Australia. As far as the High Court is concerned it's a movie with Sean Connery in it, nothing else. You even got told by an ex-copper and still won't take it.

[Cam]

I haven't read all pages, but if it was me i would run. There was a guy in Northen QLD that had a D car behind him, it was not marked, and used no lights and tail gated the guy flashing his lights, so the guy "said" he freaked out and ran. went to court and won. I'd be saying that i saw it was a taxi and wasn't going to pull over for it despite having pretty lights, i'd bet my left nut that you'd win if u tool it to court.

Also, i can say i have been subject to being pulled over for no reason, like 10am on a monday morning for a "RBT", i over took the D car on the highway, he tailgated me for about 20k's (i knew it was a D car), he then pulled me over for a RBT and then proceeded to go over my car. My car is loud (AUII 347) but not when i am doing 2500rpm at 100k's, it was pretty obvious that it was a attempt to defect another one of us "hoons". Pitty i drive around like a granny

Cam

[angelwithinvisiblewings]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

James, did you even read the definition of entrapment?

I'll save you the skim read - the key point is that to entrap someone requires you to encourage someone who DID NOT INTEND TO BREAK THE LAW to do something illegal.

It is not entrapment. People sprung by undercovers were not coerced into doing something illegal. They break the law under their own accord. Just because they didnt know it was a cop car - does not make it entrapment.

The fact that we dont have an entrapment law on the books is irrelevant. This is not entrapment.



Listen real good. That is not entrapement. If you decide to drag the SS commodore - you do so of your own accord. If they werent police, you would still have done it.

They did not induce you - you decided to drag them!!!

If the police rolled down their window and said "excuse me sir, would you mind taking off from these lights very quickly?", then proceed to book you - then it would be entrapment (not that it would matter as there's no law against it).



We are talking about the police using sneaky tactics to catch kids who probably shouldnt be on the road anyway. I support them in doing so - as would a lot of people.

We are not talking about a shocking infringement of civil liberties. We're talking about police catching hoons.

To oppose the behaviour because of "what else they might do" is a joke.

It's traffic policing dude, calm down!

Thankyou!

[angelwithinvisiblewings]

Originally Posted by nicholas

when i was a teenager the cops in Elwood Vic, used to challenge others to drag in hotted up cars that were probably there own and booked you when you took off ahead of them.there is dozens of examples of this behavior, they even got people to sell drugs and equipment to make powders and then booked the very people they conned into doing it, Vic drug squad were disbanded at one stage as there was thousands of kg's grass and pounds of heroin unaccounted for.this is not here say, look up your newspaper archives and you will find several stories .

For real....wow! Maybe I live under a mushroom...that's not right man.

[Cam]

Honestly, for anyone who is cruising down the highway at say 120 in a 110 zone, and you see something coming up behind you with something on its roof, are you not unsure of weather its a copper or a taxi and slow down? i know when i was younger i had some scares that turned out to be Taxis!

They'd be better off buying civics, chucking on a huge kit, a cannon, and trying to get people to race... Probably cheaper too...

Cam

[Redrum]

Originally Posted by charliewool

And a hat, of course ( for undercover jobs)

Good one, the problem is I am a good driver and know my way around, people would know I am not the real thing............. :evil3: