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by Nigelsavoy on July 24th, 2005

Nigelsavoy

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Is a police officer legally obligated to be visible by motorists in order to issue a ticket or can he be hidden and catch unsuspecting motorists?

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Answers. 2 helpful answers below.

  • by Answer Guy on July 25th, 2005

    Answer Guy

    There is no legal obligation that police be consipcuous in order to make any citation valid. Of course, they must be able to see sufficiently to identify the offender and/or stop the right car, but no, they don't have to be visible themselves.

    To illustrates both sides, there are "red light cameras" installed in many major intersections. Once a light turns red, anyone running the light is photographed by an automatic camera. They take amazingly clear pictures of the front license plate, rear plate, driver and the car clearly in the intersection after the light's turned red (not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything . . .). A citation is issued by mail based on the registered owner information through the Motor Vehicle Bureau. No officer is involved or visible.

    On the other hand, some police agencies know that the mere sight of a black & white police car alongside the road will make people slow down, thinking there's a radar speed trap going on. They will park a patrol car (sometimes complete with a mannequin wearing mirrored sunglasses) on a road notorious for speeding. It works - people slow down.

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  • by Anonymous on February 15th, 2006

    Anonymous

    You do not have to hide to catch motorists violating the law. there is no legal obligation, by the police, to do so. here's a thought....what about traffic enforcement from a helicopter. just because the police officer is 2,000 ft. above you, in a helicopter, is he hiding or is he visible?

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