If you are stopped by an unmarked police car should you ask for identification?

Question

I was curious if citizens when being stopped by an unmarked car should ask for identification from the police officer first because haven't there been people staging as police officers in your area? I know i have heard about it a few times where i live. What do i do if i believe the person wasnt a police officer?

Answer 1

9/10 times an unmarked will have a uniform operating it - other times if it is a plains clothed officer he will show you i.d.



EDIT: To the person who states that a plain clothes officer wouldn't stop unless it is a warrant. Yours is once again on YA a guess - you would be wrong. I suggest you give advice that has knowledge elsewhere - plain clothed officers may stop for whatever reasonable suspicion they may have as it is warranted under the law - now stop with you inane answers.



People are giving this questioner answers that will lead them to being arrested - I suggest those who give such answers should understand the laws. If there are specifics from your geographical area that you have questions in regards to specific police departments, call their public information office with this question and you will get not only a detailed answer but the specific policy as well.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Unmarked Police Car Laws

Answer 4

I am not sure how it is in other States, but in Indiana, if you are in a unmarked vehicle and stop someone, you MUST be in full uniform. If you are not, then they are not allowed to pull you over.



If for some reason this does happen, call 911 and inform them where you are at and that an unmarked car has pulled you over. Usually, the dispatcher will already know that an officer has someone pulled over and would be able to verify this information because most of the time, the officer has already radio into the dispatcher that they have someone pulled over BEFORE exiting there car.

Answer 5

YES! You can roll the window down slightly and request the officer provide identification. If you have a cell phone, you can also call 911 and ask the dispatcher to verify that it is a law enforcement officer who has stopped you. If you don't want to stop "in the middle of nowhere" you can also slow down, put on your four-way flashers, so the officer knows you are not trying to evade, and proceed to a safer location, i.e., a parking lot.

Answer 6

yes, or if you are FEMALE keep your door locked, window open enough to talk through. Let the officer approach, tell him you want to see a marked patrol car, before you feel safe giving your ol or opening the window. let him know that you will wait right here until another officer or a marked car is available. ( be very polite, as he/she should be ) if this is not OK with him, immediately dial 911 from your cell, and ask him his Car # Badge # and Name........... Be patient ! In the City of Raleigh in NC. you can be stopped by any of 15 different police agencies ! State, City, County, DMV, ect. they usually have many disp. ctrs. It might take a few min to find the correct disp. ctr. that can call him on the radio.



You would feel better if you dial 911, the the 911opr. can tell you...... Yes officer Smith of the City Police Traffic Unit has you pulled over at exit XXX of I-40 you are in a 1999 Honda ?



it might take 10 min. to "get there" so be patient. Unmarked cars are not used as often for traffic enforcement for this reason. Many times it means you "blew the doors off" the shift commander or other "boss" (you stand a good chance of a quick roadside safety lecture and no ticket !)



Work with us, we want to be understood by the public

Answer 7

Yes you always have the right to ask them for identification. Just like they can ask you. If you are unsure of a cop then pull over in a parking lot or an area where there are alot of people or cars like a mall. You can explain to them that you wanted to wait until you got around other people to stop becasue you were unsure of who they were. If you don't think it is a real cop then call 911 and tell them your situation.

Answer 8

If you don't believe the person is a police officer, keep driving. Call 911 from your cell phone (with a hands free device!), tell them where you are and describe the situation. The dispatcher will be able to tell you if the officer is legitimate, and you can pull over at that time. Be aware that you may significantly annoy the officer by doing this, but it's better than pulling over for someone impersonating an actual officer.

Answer 9

You can ask for identification and any officer pulling over a car should be in uniform or have some sort of department issued ID with them.



A couple things, some people on here are giving very bad advice.



1. When you see a police car behind you with lights on, you pull over as soon as it is safe to do so. An officer might give you some leeway in driving a few hundred yards to a parking lot or off ramp. But he is not going to tolerate you driving several miles while you attempt to confirm their identity over the phone. Not pulling over is a crime and will result in a $200 ticket from me or possibly being arrested.



2. 911 is for emergencies only. All police departments have non emergency numbers that can be obtained from 411.



3. Locking your door and only cracking the window is fine. But keep in mind that officers have the authority to order you out of the police car during traffic stops (some officers routinely do all the business with you outside of the car or even in their car). Refusing to exit the car when ordered can get you arrested.



4. Asking for a marked patrol is alright. But I wouldn't except to get one, since in the state of Missouri there is no legal requirement for you to have one. An officer can request one, but if all district cars are busy, he's not going to sit around waiting for one to be freed up. Again, delaying/refusing to cooperate can result in you be arrested.



I understand the fear of police impersonators. But keep in mind that out of the thousands of car stops done every day, only an extremely tiny percentage are police impersonators and while the officer and courts might give you a little leeway in driving a bit longer, calling to confirm and all that stuff; I would not expect the officer to have infinite patience with you and if you screw around too much, you can be arrested and have your car towed.



Some tips to help you:



Be educated about law enforcement in your area. Attend a civilian police academy, do a couple ride alongs. That will greatly help you understand how things are done and why. It will also you see how things are done. That may help you identify a police impersonator on your own.



Have local police and highway patrol programmed into your phone. So if you do have to make a call, you are not tying up the emergency line.



Explain to the officer clearly that you want to cooperate, but you have to check things out first. If you are polite to the officer, he is going to give you more leeway. Merely refusing to roll down the window or telling the officer to wait while you are making are a call are very bad ways to start off an encounter.



If you absolutely have to drive ahead to a better lit/ more populated area before pulling over. Give the officer a thumbs up out the window, flip on your hazards, something to signal to him that you acknowledge that you are being stopped and want to cooperate.



You wouldn't believe the amount of people we deal with that think they are in their own little world and the police are supposed to work around that. That simply is not the case.

Answer 10

Assuming you are in America then yes but I wouldn't expect much of an outcome. If you are being accused of braking the law then exercise your right to remain silent because anything you do say can and WILL be used against you in court...anything you do say cannot be used for your defence as it will be dismissed as hearsay.

Answer 11

You dont have to ask, they will show you identification

Answer 12

absolutely

Answer 13

If they're not in uniform, they shouldn't be stopping you for anything other than a warrant. If they are in uniform, they should have id in plain sight or offer it to you. Finally, their flashing lights should be permanantly mounted, not the little gumbball they can put on the dash and remove. (Usually they're in the grill.)