View Full Version : Undercover/unmarked vehicle recommendations
Midtncop
01-13-2005, 18:28
If you had $23,000 to spend on an american sedan to use for undercover/unmarked detective work, what what would you buy? Preferably something that would fit in, look good, be quick, fast and handle well.
concord160
01-13-2005, 18:38
Not exactly "cool", but the best UC vehicle I have used and in my opinion is a soccer mom type mini-van...they are dime a dozen and fit in anywhere.
They also do great for jump-outs and surveillence.
Ah, bro, difficult question. No police package Ford, Mercury, GM or Chrysler sedan products, just scream cop. Issue is whether you have the $ for a vehicle alone or to get it and trick it out. Presuming it's for vehicle off the lot and it is just for you to use, avoid no style machines. You want a 6 or 8 under the hood. Can you score a used hoopty? Jack up the style and stay on budget.
New vehicles, got to consider who is using. Just you? Then age or ability to pass for age is an issue. Undercover for what? Dope? I'm buying down in model and the tricking with extras. Guns or other stuff, nice pick-em up with a little flash. Sorry TN, but pick em up with a little extra internal shine probably covers the waterfront.
Key is external invisibility and internal shine for U/C. never see the freaking thing on surveillance, way cool sound and internal shine. U/C means can I put a camera into the cab, and sound recording and power it and nothing shows.
Look at the paint, black and blue left unwashed can look like crap mobiles. shined up look like limos. Pay attention on the drive to work, what color do you see the most of? Most is invisible.
What does the make and model of your intended bad guys look like. U/C is often acceptance.
Trick is to process all of this in making a selection. Also can you buy foreign?
You can crawl out of an Altima or 2 door Accord in a suit or jeans.
Last, can you drive a shift. Cops always drive auto. Shift says civilian, whether honest or not.
If you can deviate from the sedan route, Concord's minivan suggestion is great - I've used some fancy-schmancy surveillance vans and nothing beats a simple mini-van for getting into small places. Buy a bunch of magnetic placards that say "Joe's TV Repair" and a few other tasty slogans and you're set.
For regular sedans, I'd stay away from American cars, since that's almost exclusively (with only a few exceptions) what all cops drive, state, local and Feds. I'd also stay away from full-sized sedans, since those are only really common as 1) police cars, 2) rental cars, and 3) among the over-65 crowd. I'd get something slightly used, or make it LOOK like it's used - no washing, a scuff here or there. Get it with some options that most law enforcement supervisors would never allow and criminals would never expect (you can afford that if you buy used), like custom rims. I'd go with something that looks common, but still might have a little guts to it - something small and common enough to be the average 4-cylinder (what police car is a 4-cylinder?), but which you could still get as a V6: maybe a Honda Accord or a mid-sized SUV like a Pathfinder, etc.
k
A van is probably the most versatile both for blending in and for plenty of space for officers/agents, surveillance gear etc.
I have two quick u/c van stories. The USPP used a mini-van to surveil car busters working the parking areas around West Potomac Park. The crime prevention unit set up one day in a lot and low and behold, the car buster came up to the van. He broke out his tools and they just slid the door open and snatched him up.
One of our offices had a fully rigged out surveillance van. Most of the equipment was old, and the thing fell into disuse. It sat outisde the office for a long time. Some yahoos broke into it, took out all of the electronics, realized it was crap and left it by a dumpster. To add insult to injury, one of the yahoos takes a dump inside the van. :eek:
For where we operate, an older pickup would be perfect. What about seized vehicles?
WaltKosomik
01-13-2005, 20:47
FedRich makes a good point about pick-ups/trucks/SUVs. I worked with some vice cops a few years ago (from two different local departments), and each of them drove some variation of a truck or SUV (new, old, big, small, automatic, standard, foreign, American, single cab, double cab, long bed, short bed, tool box, visible work boots, etc.). Being Texas, they fit in well. I think the geographic location you're in is very relevant.
You're NOT going to get an all purpose U/C vehicle for ANY amount of money, because each gig may require a different vehicle. For 23K, why not try the rental car route? It can be changed at a whim, especially if it get's burned.
The vehicles can be switched out for smaller or larger and the UC stories can be as varied as your car is in the shop, to something like you drive these cars because the feds are always seizing the good ones, etc.
Rental companies can give annual rates for car types, allowing at will switchouts. Some lease companies offer the switchouts as well, but not with the frequency of the rentals.
DM
I think I am presuming that a local department doesn't lease out the way the
Feds do or my compatriot DM is presuming you can. Possible for both of us to be wrong, but behind Mr. Clark's comment is an issue I agree with entirely that a successful U/C car will get burned. Most of them are morons, but not all and the word does get shared. Think about issues like changing out plates and whether the department will spray paint it once in a while. Eons ago, the City Garage loved tricking out and respraying the Vice and Narcotics vehicles. Same time they hated the traffic guys and always stuck the same bumper sticker on the rear so they could spot them.
Some other advice. Tricking out a U/C often invites bad decisions. I put a death penalty on my agents for tinted windows even though they were in love with them. Why? In their view it was cool. In my view there were and are jurisdictions in GA with tough laws about tinting. You show up in that venue with heavy tint and you might as well put a light bar on the roof. Not being stopped informed every 5th grader that the local cops knew you were 5-O so they might as well think so too.
Trick for a department is to change around vehicles both by changing their appearance (paint, spoilers, rims, wheels, trim) and after a great job, get it out of narcotics and into robbery homicide and vice versa.
I'm not so big on vans as others. Usually sophisticated surveillance platfoms are van based and in certain areas van reads as cop surveillance vehicles.
Pay attention to the details as well. Can you get plates that conform to the U/C id? Are they tagged so you are notified who ran them and when and where? Skels I could buy from in the SAC mobile on the way to an agency head lunch. Also worked folks where changing the visible vin plate was not paranoia.
ATFSAC makes an excellent point and to be sure, flexibility is the mainstay when selecting a unit. I did this rental thing for my HIDTA units, who were ALWAYS looking for new and inventive "rides".
You may or may not have this flexibility, but do take a look. You can make a solid business case for the rental program based on days actually utilized and repairs, licensing, changeouts, etc vs. a 1X purchase. DM
Midtncop
01-14-2005, 20:04
Thanks for all the replies. All are great suggestions. I will keep them in mind when trying to make a decision. Take care.
kennethm3
01-14-2005, 21:36
go buy a beat up Ford Taurus, a beater Dodge Stratus and two Neons. You can get all four for less than 23K and have 13,000 dollars left over to keep them running for a couple of years. Paint a fender or door primer, tint the windows and pull of two of the four hubcaps off and you'll be good to go!
FastDak911
01-15-2005, 06:15
go buy a beat up Ford Taurus, a beater Dodge Stratus and two Neons. You can get all four for less than 23K and have 13,000 dollars left over to keep them running for a couple of years. Paint a fender or door primer, tint the windows and pull of two of the four hubcaps off and you'll be good to go!
hahahaha I like this Idea. I picked up a 1996 Ford Taurus from a dealer for less then $4,000. The car has some power for a V6.
ladyblue
01-15-2005, 07:14
Some other advice. Tricking out a U/C often invites bad decisions. I put a death penalty on my agents for tinted windows even though they were in love with them. Why? In their view it was cool. In my view there were and are jurisdictions in GA with tough laws about tinting. You show up in that venue with heavy tint and you might as well put a light bar on the roof. Not being stopped informed every 5th grader that the local cops knew you were 5-O so they might as well think so too.
So very true!!!! It just amazes me that vice agents think that putting dark tint on a crown vic hides them!?! Not only does it look ridiculous but what if they get in trouble? How can we see into the vehicle to help them? I guess when they have their CI's in the vehicle, they assume that they won't have things go bad.
The best U/C's I have seen are the seized vehicles that DEA has passed down or getting a borrowed car, or around here, pickup truck from a local used car dealer. Lights?...old time blue teardrop that magnetically sticks to your dash or roof.
Another vote for the mini van. Our narc task force just got one for one of its guys. They love it. Alas the days of narcs driving seized corvettes and trans ams are over.
We have a mixed detective fleet with both Chevy Impalas and Toyota Camrys. We tried to get some Accords as well, but had problems leasing them. Here in SoCal, the Toyotas and Hondas are ubiquitous and anonymous. We've had real good luck with the Toyotas - this is our second buy of Camrys. Prior to buying the Impalas in 2001, we had a bunch of Pontiacs which were satsifactory and didn't scream "cop". When I worked on a multijurisdictional surveillance team, several guys had Nissan Maximas. They were comfortable, fast and reliable. Today my first choice for a detectivemobile that didn't scream "cop" would be a Toyota, Honda or Nissan. They hold resale value better than the american sedans, usually get better mileage, are faster, have nicer interiors and handle better in my experience. Another thing to consider is mixing up the brands and colors in a detective fleet. It becomes a llittle awkward when everyone in the surveillance is driving the same make and model car.
Eaglearm
01-17-2005, 13:42
All you guys are forgetting about our number one resource. Your department's Impound Lot Facility. As for you FEDS, your local PD or Sheriff's Office can help.
Joe dirt bags car is getting impounded because he can not afford the plates. Thus, next stop comes the auction. Not yet.
Our Department's Impound Lot is good. If we need a junker for the day or two. So be it. Our garage mechanics can get them going in good shape. A no plated, junker car works great.
If you do not fit in, how are you going to blend in with dirt bags.
That is like using an expensive gun as personal protection. Get a beat-up revolver from the Evidence Room.
Once you finish using the car, park it on the street, UPB Officer has it towed, and your partner picks you up around the corner. Never drive the UC Car to your house, the department, or court.
When faced with a bullet because your cover is blown, is to late to wonder where you made your mistakes.
Renegade
01-17-2005, 17:21
If you had $23,000 to spend on an american sedan to use for undercover/unmarked detective work, what what would you buy? Preferably something that would fit in, look good, be quick, fast and handle well.
undercover and unmarked detective are mutually exclusive functions. Using a car that detectives have used will get the undercover guy killed.
Spend $3000 for a undercover POS and put the rest towards an unmarked car for detective use.
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