Is it OK to drive to a public area if you receive a blue light from an unmarked police vehicle? This question was asked in an e-mail to The People News by a reader who was concerned at being stopped by someone posing as a

police officer. The reader had received a report of an attempted stop in another state which led to the capture of a rapist.

An unmarked police car had pulled up behind a 19 year old college student and put his lights on. The student had been warned  by her parents never to stop on a quiet street or in an unlighted area but to  drive with her hazard lights on to the nearest gas station. Although it was 1pm in the afternoon, she did as her parents had suggested and also called the local 911 Center on her cell phone for instructions. The dispatcher, realizing that it was a bogus stop, alerted nearby patrol units to converge on the area. They arrived just as the student was pulling into the gas station. The man in the bogus police car was arrested

and later proved to be a convicted rapist and habitual criminal.                 

George Campbell, Public Relations Officer for the Cleveland Police Department said that although there is no written policy on the subject, officers at the department using an unmarked vehicle would not consider a slow drive to the nearest populated area as an attempt to run. He said that recently a man had been arrested for impersonating a police officer after stopping motorists on Keith Street using a bogus but fully equipped and marked police  cruiser. He also had a fake uniform and badge.

Joe Wilson, Director of the Bradley County 911 Communication Center, said that anyone concerned for their safety would be wise to call 911 if they had a cell phone. The dispatcher can quickly  check the validity of the stop or alert a marked unit to respond.

There are some genuine unmarked vehicles in use by  the CPD and other law enforcement agencies as well as those used by Bradley County's elected constables.  .