Beware of this unmarked cop | FerrariChat

Beware of this unmarked cop

Discussion in 'Northwest' started by mtarvydas, Aug 14, 2012.

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  1. mtarvydas

    mtarvydas Formula Junior

    Oct 26, 2011
    701
    On the Mountain
    Full Name:
    Martin Tarvydas
    Whoa, I wonder if this would have been entrapment. Coming back from Redmond Town Center today and heading up the 520 onramp a black Merc AMG sedan floors it and screams past me, obviously to engage. I would have bit but my radar went off the screen so I slowly merge onto 520. Still getting soft KA signals but don't see anyone. Pull to the right to take the 40th exit and The black Merc cuts over the shoulder in front of me and hammers it one more time. WHAM goes the radar again, where is the trooper? Pull up to the lights right behind the Merc and pretty sure I saw strobes in the tinted windows.

    If I would have "bit" and he pulled me over would that be entrapment? Probably not, right?
     
  2. flyngti

    flyngti Formula 3

    Jul 16, 2009
    1,239
    Snohomish, WA
    Full Name:
    Eric L
    What the heck? Did you get a look at his plates? I'm pretty sure that cops, undercover or not, have exempt plates with no tabs.

    As to the entrapment, it sure sounds like baiting you into speeding would be but I imagine it'd be hard to prove.
     
  3. RumorDude

    RumorDude Formula Junior

    Dec 16, 2003
    625
    Woodinville, WA
    soft ka can also sometimes come from jammers. are you sure the car was unmarked? could there have been something else funny reflecting or did you see that it was actually a police dude driving the car?
     
  4. 330gt

    330gt Formula 3

    Nov 12, 2004
    2,078
    Seattle, WA
    Full Name:
    Kerry Chesbro
    Possibly the Merc had a poor radar detector emitting signals that your detector saw only when close. So not a cop at all?
     
  5. mtarvydas

    mtarvydas Formula Junior

    Oct 26, 2011
    701
    On the Mountain
    Full Name:
    Martin Tarvydas
    Definitely could be something else, only saw it for a second. Passenger can't confirm. Never did have a false/positive KA signal before.
     
  6. schumacherf2006

    schumacherf2006 F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 22, 2010
    8,976
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    Chris
    They don't need exempt plates
     
  7. seanm858

    seanm858 Rookie

    Nov 29, 2009
    32
    nw washington
    Full Name:
    Sean McDonough
    Quite a few WSP and Snohomish County Sherriffs run unmarked vehicles with standard plates,getting harder to spot them !
     
  8. Bob Parks

    Bob Parks F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2003
    8,017
    Shoreline,Washington
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    Robert Parks
    Lately I have seen a black Mustang, a pick up, an SUV, and a Ford sedan, all unmarked WSP.
     
  9. Jonny Law

    Jonny Law F1 Rookie
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    May 6, 2008
    3,199
    Over yonder.
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    IT Guy
    Maybe the property room had a seized Merc gathering dust.

    There is on trick you could try if you get close again. As Bob pointed out there are a lot of unmarked cars trying to blend in to traffic. If one of them tries to pull you over you can call 9-1-1 to verify it. If it is legit the dispatch will confirm that it is a real police car, and probably advise you to pull over. Trick is getting past the part where they are not really pulling you over.
     
  10. Jedi

    Jedi Moderator
    Moderator Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Mar 18, 2008
    32,183
    Seattle Area
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    Dave
    Not trying to be a killjoy, but is it at all possible you DIDN'T see strobes in the windows,
    but just THOUGHT you did?

    Maybe it was in reality a guy in an AMG playing with you after all?

    Just playing devil's advocate....

    Jedi
     
  11. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    18,033
    USA
    Never seen WSP with a BMW or Mercedes, but I see almost every flavor of domestic car, as I am on the road a lot during the week. Years ago, they did have a taxi cab driving on I-5 between Tacoma and Seattle, it was marked "Speedco" and had all the usual taxi cab stuff on it. They also had a Volvo station wagon too.
     
  12. mtarvydas

    mtarvydas Formula Junior

    Oct 26, 2011
    701
    On the Mountain
    Full Name:
    Martin Tarvydas
    Yeah, fully agree as time goes on I start to question what I saw. But the false A/B read was the first time in 5 years with this radar so that was what puzzled me.
     
  13. mw575

    mw575 F1 Rookie

    May 30, 2001
    2,924
    Lake Oswego,Or
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    Martin J Weiner,M.D.
    Have the Redmond police struck gold?? A Merc AMG?? I doubt it and yet there is that small Italian town with a Lambo police car.
     
  14. M Baker

    M Baker Formula Junior

    Apr 9, 2010
    393
    Redmond, WA
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Tonight after 9PM a WSP pickup truck had its police lights flashing and had pulled over behind someone on southbound 405 by 160th in Bothell.
     
  15. AnotherDunneDeal

    AnotherDunneDeal F1 Veteran

    Jun 2, 2003
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    James Dunne
    When BMW first came to the US they offered South Carolina three M5 sedans for pursuit vehicles. South Carolina turned them down because they were not American made. I heard they relented later and took the cars once production began in Smyrna. Do any of you guys know if they did end up taking them or not?
     
  16. JDZNate

    JDZNate Formula Junior

    May 14, 2007
    607
    Portland, OR
    Full Name:
    Nate
    Vancouver PD had an Evo and a WRX to catch street racers.
     
  17. Jdubbya

    Jdubbya The $10 Trillion Man
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 28, 2003
    42,519
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    They used to have a Subaru over here in Kitsap but I think it was a Sheriff not WSP. I've also seen a couple full size trucks and SUV's lately. Years ago there used to be a Mustang and Trans Am that would hang out around 320th or so on I-5.
     
  18. Jalpa_Mike

    Jalpa_Mike F1 Rookie

    Apr 2, 2004
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    Michael Wilson
    #18 Jalpa_Mike, Aug 16, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  19. Rudeboy

    Rudeboy Rookie

    Nov 11, 2003
    20
    Seattle, WA
    Full Name:
    Peter W.
    Redmond used to have a yellow pinto/pacer, really ugly looking thing, that would get people on Union Hill Rd. It just looked like a broken down car on the side of the road.
     
  20. synchro

    synchro F1 Veteran

    Feb 14, 2005
    9,294
    CHNDLR
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    Scott
    Kerry is onto something here.

    Apologize in advance for going too geeky or simplified but a typical receiver/radar detector is a transmitter of low power on the same frequency. It "receives" the target transmitter's signals by detecting/demodulating the interference in its local field.
     
  21. SAFE4NOW

    SAFE4NOW F1 Veteran
    Sponsor Owner

    Aug 25, 2004
    5,810
    Dallas Texas
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    If you know you know
    I had something simular happen the other day during a group drive.

    I was leading the group in a new Audi Rs5 with all the bells and whistles ( no pun intended )

    The cars behind me kept slowing down and not keeping pace. When we reached our destination, everyone was telling me that their radar detectors were going off. ( V1's, etc )
    But no one could ever find the " police officer "

    On the way home , we realized what "it" was:

    The new Rs5 has " blind spot " sensors and active cruise control. Both systems us a low power radar signal... which set off the radar detectors....

    Maybe the same situation, maybe not.

    Just a thought,

    S
     
  22. SAFE4NOW

    SAFE4NOW F1 Veteran
    Sponsor Owner

    Aug 25, 2004
    5,810
    Dallas Texas
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    If you know you know
    Oh, and as for unmarked law enforcement vehicles, they don't have to have exempt plates.

    Sometimes, the local DEA group will even go as far as to register their cars under names like " Daffy Duck " + " Peter Pan " or other movie names.

    True Story..

    LOL

    S
     
  23. mtarvydas

    mtarvydas Formula Junior

    Oct 26, 2011
    701
    On the Mountain
    Full Name:
    Martin Tarvydas
    Yeah you are probably right. The more I think about it, the more skeptical I get of my "UFO" spotting :)
     

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