Proper Signage & Responsible SSP Usage

[copcamaro]

When we did our 2005 Golden, Colo. show, Larry Andrinuas and I went in the Col. office in Denver, told him what we wanted to do.
He said that based on my and Larry's past support of the patrol he would give anyone who registered, a letter stating they were coming into CO. to show their cars. Now this meant they still wanted prec,ahtions taken with covering decals and lights. After the show we visited with him again and asked how we (the Club) was viewed by the troopers and public to which he responded NO PROBLEMS at all!
He was such a gentleman, he, the COL. came to our show and judged the entries in person in full uniform and it was HOT-HOT-HOT.
He then came to our banquet that night presented awards and spoke.
What a gentleman and friend of the hobby this man was. I say was as he has since retired.
The Col. now, seems as responsive also. We have a Colo. Maj. who is also a car person.
We had 3 motorcycles and one patrol car as escort in our cruises.
I feel uneasy traveling in IL,CA,IA, even covered.
Another reason for removing lightbar,is, BETTER GAS MILEAGE.

[MOstang]

Great experiences Ray....and nice letter too! Something to be proud of receiving. I'm real proud of the letters I have from the MSHP Superintendent...past and current one.

[NoDrama43]

I am perplexed as to why someone would pretend they are a cop. I guess it is like the person that pretends they are a soldier or served in the armed forces.

just wierd fellas....I don't get it.

[ImEvil1]

Originally Posted by 28HopUp

So are things the same in Florida in regards to clamping down on those who display a restored police car at a show?

No, not in today's world. I've personally seen "restored" FHP Mustangs at the Silver Springs show, and nobody got their car impounded or towed.

A member here had an incident awhile back with a Miami-Dade officer over his car, but he ended up on the winning end of the deal. It was still a hassle for him, but the officer had to retire over the whole deal. He was definitely in the wrong.

[ImEvil1]

Originally Posted by NoDrama43

I am perplexed as to why someone would pretend they are a cop. I guess it is like the person that pretends they are a soldier or served in the armed forces.

just wierd fellas....I don't get it.

There are alot of people out there who have mental problems....personal issues....complexes, or whatever.

[GSPI]

Parks has had police attempt to Baker act him in FL before because of mental issues. He is mental of sorts but we've assisted many departments in helping in prosecution and tracking as he is a hazard to females from our experience. He's highly abusive to people that disagree with him and he's also very litigious when it comes to LE departments that he has contact with. And for what it's worth, he's still a collector of old police cars and police items. He now resides in CT. Steer clear of this guy as he's nothing but trouble.

[28HopUp]

One thing that can potentially get the owner of a SSP in trouble, or make us all look bad, is taking pictures or videos and posting them online. There were a few examples I found where the owner was acting inappropriately, but I didn't want to give them additional publicity by posting those pictures/videos here. The types of questionable behaviors caught on film included:

• Being shown with alcohol in-hand during parking lot light shows.
• Owner (non-LEO) behind the wheel wearing a "county mounty" hat with a beer in-hand.
• Simply driving around on public streets with the emergency lights uncovered.
• Assuming the position on the fender of a police car.
• Staging a pull-over with lights/sirens and the owner(s) as actors.
• In-code pictures showing the owner/driver peeling out to respond to a call.
• Personally re-enacting an arrest with handcuffs next to a SSP.
• Justifying their bad behavior because they are a LEO.
• Displaying a badge at a show (a real LEO knowns not to flash his badge around).

All of the above situations demonstrate a lapse in judgment, albeit some things are certainly worse than others. But it reminds us that we need to be careful about what we capture on film.

Over the weekend, I spoke with a fellow SSP owner that we all enjoy having here - Andy. Most of us know Andy for his comedy, but he is VERY careful about what he does with his '85 CHP Mustang. I recently spoke with Andy about the responsibilities associated with owning/operating a SSP, and got his permission to use his good example as a reference here. Some time ago, Andy posted a couple of pictures of his CHP taken out-of-state along the side of the highway, which are shown here:




Andy was very quick to note in his original thread that he never drives on the street with the logos/lettering/lights exposed. For the pictures, he selected the location and camera angle, and then quickly removed the covers on that side to snap a few pictures. Once that was done, he covered up that side, changed angles, removed the coverings, snapped a few more pictures, and quickly got the car covered up again. Taking pictures of a fully marked car on a public roadway can turn into a bad situation too, but Andy is VERY considerate about displaying his car in the public eye and included information about the care he used to take the pictures.

As was stated previously, the laws vary by state. So it is difficult to establish a set of guidelines to cover all situations. Hopefully, we will give some thought to the circumstances we may find ourselves in, and exercise good judgment when the time comes.

[GSPI]

Laws are different all around but the result is the same. These vehicles are highly illegal and any horsing around can become an issue! People seem to not get it, I love the idea of "acting" like the next guy in the movies but only when it is in a controlled environment such as when some of my fellow car owners are brought into shooting a funny shoe commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWoPybzPUiY

Note the use of "Metro" police instead of Chicago Police as CPD does not condone the use of their name (except in Chicago Code). One of the young officers in the background is an actual CPD officer who actually owns one of those cars. My fellow collectors have also been called to act in Chicago Code, Barbershop 1&2, the old Hillstreet Blues, etc. That's all and no where else!

It still seems to me to be common sense but then again, common sense as of late has not been so common!

[Andy]

Laws are different in different States
but COMMON SENSE should always
be in check ALWAYS
one thing that really annoy me it that when someone tries
to apply their States Laws to your car Not in their state.
Kinda like how the news anchors in N.Y. think
that the world revolves around their life style
and the East coast.
I don't know about you guys but i have never had a problem
with ANY official in any State i have traveled to or through
and this way of marking my car in transit says to the casual observer
this is NOT A POLICE CAR
Maby in California it's not good enough
but guess what
I Aint in California

[28HopUp]

Originally Posted by Andy

Laws are different in different States
but COMMON SENSE should always
be in check ALWAYS

Andy,

It does come down to using common sense in most cases. But also, each of us as SSP enthusiasts has a different definition of what activity is acceptable and what isn't. That's one of the reasons for this thread - to publicize that we need to be thinking all the time about how our actions are perceived by others. Perception IS reality.

Let's take an example. Some may view parking lot light shows as OK. I mean, we have the lights, so we might as well use them, right? Others (like most of the LEO members) would disapprove of civilians (or off-duty LEO's) using emergency lights in public settings which are not authorized (a parade or a car show are examples of an authorized situation).

It would be impossible for everyone of us to agree 100% of the time as to what activity is condoned and what isn't, but this open discussion may be of benefit to those who hadn't given sufficient consideration to the topic.