Police cruiser rant

[daddyo]

This morning on the way to work I saw someone pulled over by an unmarked cruiser that was lit up like a UFO. Seriously, it reminded me of the small spacecraft in the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". There were lights on the top, front, sides, and the rear.

Geez, how many lights does a cruiser need and how much does it cost per vehicle?

Is it an intimidation thing? A safety thing? Just seems like overkill to me.

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

Has a lot to do with safety.They need to be seen in the dusk and dawn hours.., plus this way you do not have an excuse that you did not see the lights when he is trying to pull you over..

I, for one . think its great they have all these lights.. I would hate to have some idiot plow into someone that I love.. even a person I do not know..

[G27]

I imagine it's due to safety - I can't imagine the relatively small investment in the lighting and installation isn't worth it if it saves one officers life.

I do like that I can see them from long distances now - especially on the interstate. It allows me plenty of time to move over from the lane they're adjacent to to give them space.

[Caster]

It's aggravating and some of them are bright enough to induce an epileptic seizure. I hate them stupid lights.......but if they save even one cop from getting plowed by some moron who might not have seen him/her otherwise, it's worth it.

[Murgatroy]

Safety, and I am sure the cost isn't as extreme as some would think.

I honestly believe that the thousand or so dollars it costs to outfit the cars like a rolling KISS show is well worth it to keep both the officers and the citizens they pull over safe. Given how folks drive, or should I say, text, eat and otherwise while operating a motor vehicle, I feel more comfortable with the disco lights going on the side of the road.

[leroy]

The LED lighting thing and microprocessors are doin great (...and sometimes strange...) things to vehicle lighting. It is a safety thing. I spent a bunch of years in the construction business dodging unaware drivers from time to time. It's a dangerous business to be on the side of the road with traffic whizzin by. A human (...even a 300 pounder...) cant win in a crash with a small car movin at 50 mph. Thats the reason for the "close encounter" lighting (...by the way, i love the description....) There are several companies that specialize in lighting for police and construction vehicles that have pre-designed packages. Costs aint that bad considering what they do.

leroy

[shaftbass]

Also, 300 LED's that cost a few thousand dollars sets the real unmarked cars apart from some guy who has an Impala and a single LED strip he got from JC Whitney and is out impersonating the po-lees.

[KahrMan]

Also, 300 LED's that cost a few thousand dollars sets the real unmarked cars apart from some guy who has an Impala and a single LED strip he got from JC Whitney and is out impersonating the po-lees.

I think this is the main reason unmarked cars have so many lights. It lets the person being stopped know that it is the police and not someone posing as the police.

[Erik88]

Of all the things to rant about.... Sounds a lot like "why would someone need a 33 round magazine"...

[daddyo]

Of all the things to rant about.... Sounds a lot like "why would someone need a 33 round magazine"...

"Rant" was a poor choice of words. I just didn't understand the reason behind it, but I do now.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

[Erik88]

"Rant" was a poor choice of words. I just didn't understand the reason behind it, but I do now.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Oh come on now! Don't get offended so easily. It was just a silly thing to complain about.

[kb4ns]

how much does it cost per vehicle?

Far less than a hospital bill or a line-of-duty funeral.

[daddyo]

Oh come on now! Don't get offended so easily. It was just a silly thing to complain about.

Don't be stupid. I could just as easily surmise that you're offended that I even asked the question. Pretty silly.

[Defender]

Serves more than one purpose, actually, but I agree that some of them are so bright and distracting that they may actually CAUSE safety issues. The other night I was on the interstate when one was pulled over on the side...traffic was so heavy that I couldn't immediately change lanes, and I was so blinded by the lights that it impaired my ability to see. THATS too much. Theres gotta be a point of diminishing returns on this issue...

[JReedEsq]

The lights are probably cheaper than you think. I used to do a lot of mountain biking in the dark and 10 years ago it cost $400-$500 for a good HID light set up back then. Now with LCD technology, you can have a set up that is just as bright for much less money and with lighter weight batteries. You gotta remeber that a LEO might have to pull someone over or block the road in foggy or rainy weather conditions. The best lights could be the difference between a 2 car interstate pile-up and a 10 car pile-up if you can see them from a 1/2 mile away.

[TMF]

Of all the things to rant about.... Sounds a lot like "why would someone need a 33 round magazine"...

... because why not? Solved that rant before it began!

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Serves more than one purpose, actually, but I agree that some of them are so bright and distracting that they may actually CAUSE safety issues. The other night I was on the interstate when one was pulled over on the side...traffic was so heavy that I couldn't immediately change lanes, and I was so blinded by the lights that it impaired my ability to see. THATS too much. Theres gotta be a point of diminishing returns on this issue...

I agree with all the points about safety and the desirability of a car lit up good enough to momentarily capture a driver's attention away from typing a text message.

But the bright cars do a number on my eyes too. Especially in bad weather.

Last winter the snow had it down to two lanes in downtown red bank, creeping along in a line of cars after dark and snow swirling around and reflections on ice and snow. Then came to an intersection with three popo cars lit up like a disco, and it was all my old eyes could do to see good enough to drive.

[Pain103]

I use to drive an unmarked car at my last department was the fortunate winner of a drunk at 50mph into my car while I was stopped. So i'm paranoid about about my lights even more now. I know some of these lights are pushing the limit at night of being blinding but if most people would get out of the way while I'm going to an emergency call or not come at my car at 70mph on the interstate and wait 5ft from my bumper to move over I wouldn't use them.

My bar has a low option so if I'm stationary at night with them on I'll turn them to low hoping they won't blind drivers.

[hornett22]

I have known some cops with obsessive issues to add their own lights to their cruisers. Not sure if this is still allowed. My vary by department.

It doesn't bother me either way. Safety is important.

[strickj]

They blind the hell out of me at night.especially on a dark country road.

And the super-duper fast flashing of the LEDs makes it worse.

I wish they'd go back to rotators and flashing lamps.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I don't have a problem with them if they truly are effective in making the popo safer on the side of the road. There are so many drivers barely paying attention.

But in some situations they do make it hard to see how to drive. Not everybody is 21 and eats carrots every day.

[Patton]

I had a decked out unmarked a few years ago that only cost about $2500 for it all with dual stage siren. I heard that the Chattanooga PD was spending 12k or more per car for the low profile light bars, cage, decals and other emergency equipment . So all the remotely located lights in the grill, inside, and around the plate -yada - yada are most likely costing less than these clear LED light bars.

[Guest boatme99]

It's saftey for the officers. I'm not going to look it up, but there are a lot of police and road workrs killed every year by morons who either don't see them or travel too close to them resulting in unfortunant accidents.