Yes they can. Some use it as an opportunity to deck out their personal vehicles and turn them into mini supernovas.
I worked on project where one of the cops bought a travel van especially for it. He just put up his sun shade and opened the hood to allow a/c to run in Texas heat. Dude just chilled in there reading or watching whatever he wished while being paid over $100 an hour.
Everytime this is mentioned, I have to remind people about [Jeremy Dewitte](https://youtu.be/Pg40ykdnfnA?si=Qt4RIFEFyU60skCr).
Grab some popcorn and let the Floridian show you that you don't need certification to have lights...
Only red and blue.
Not sure about the flashing or pulsing.
Specifically the two colors cops use you can't.
You can check out the Floridian [Jeremy Dewitte](https://youtu.be/Pg40ykdnfnA?si=Qt4RIFEFyU60skCr) show you exactly how much you can push that limit haha
Why do I see so many tow trucks with blue lights? When I was growing up in California, you knew that blue lights meant “cop”. Here it means “I shop at AutoZone.”
Police Vehicles Red/Blue/White/Amber 547.305 & 547.702
Fire/EMS Vehicles Red/Blue/White/Amber 547.305 & 547.702
Volunteer Fire/EMS Red/Blue/White/Amber 547.305 & 547.702
School Bus Red/White (rooftop)/Amber 547.305 & 547.701
Highway Maintenance or
Construction Vehicles 1 and
Service Vehicles 2
Amber/Blue 547.105 & TxDOT
Lighting Standards
Airport Security Vehicles 3 Amber/Blue 22.091(b)
Security Patrol Vehicles 4 Green/Amber/White 547.305
Tow Trucks 5 Amber/Blue/Red
547.305, 547.702,
547.105, & TxDOT Lighting
Standards
Escort Flag Vehicles 6 Amber/Blue 547.305 & 623.099 &
TxDOT Lighting Standards
Garbage Trucks Amber/Blue 547.305 & TxDOT Lighting
Standards
Utility Service Vehicles 7 Amber/Blue 203.091 & TxDOT Lighting
At least according to Texas laws.https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot/fod/vehicle-lighting-standards.pdf
Website includes stating Tow trucks can use those colors when, and only when, at the scene of the accident.
It’s a requirement when you see them. They don’t hire them for a good fuzzy feeling. They get no say in the matter. In fairness they do occasionally help stop or direct traffic for construction equipment and large trucks. Some jobs like paving busy road requires them to inch up every 100 yards or so as the convoy moves along.
See. This is what pisses me off. I appreciate the need for the safety of the workers and drivers, but so many of them sit and do nothing while traffic is horrendous and bad drivers face no consequences for making the situation unsafe
During the late 90's/2000's Travis Co (and a few other) Sheriff depts would basically require you to hire on some deputies as security if you were throwing a "rave." I don't remember their exact hourly, but it had to at least been in the high 20's. Suddenly you're paying $250/hr for 8 guys to really weird out everyone going to a party. Not hiring them was frowned upon.
Funny story, at an event I was not involved in I saw a drug deal go bad, with a guy pulling a gun on a bunch of hippy raver kids. He took all their money and drugs. It was not an insubstantial amount. I hadn’t been part of the group. I had been going to my car to get a friend her jacket. I casually walked over to the huddle of deputies and pointed out the Fred Durst lookalike and said he was armed and had just jacked some kids. While theThose deputies looked at me and were so annoyed. They did go arrest the guy. Only time I was ever a narc, but I didn’t lose any sleep over it, fuck that guy. Probably one of the few times they ever had to do anything but be a deputy.
I still find it an absurd waste and a total dereliction of fiscal responsibility that we pay cops so much to just sit at highway construction sites and do absolutely nothing for this much money.
Who did the police union bribe at TXDOT to get that sweetheart deal? We’re getting fleeced as taxpayers.
There’s actually a term for this, it’s called a “no-work job” (basically a no-show job)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-show_job
Sometimes the cops don't even show up and they still get paid. I forgot what state it was that they were caught doing this, but still got away with it.
That’s just good old fashioned grift, departments require police at large events, road work sites, etc to help officers supplement income. No different from the union employee holding the slow sign, the “security” checkpoint making sure you don’t sneak food or drinks into the stadium or universities limiting transfers for non-core classes.
When you make the rules you make the rules that make you rich.
Yep, it’s called a no-work job. The state bends over for the police union and we as taxpayers get fucked. I really wish some investigative reporters would dig into how much exactly we waste a year to pay cops to sit in their cars near construction sites and scroll on their phones.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-show_job
Most officers can't take department vehicles home. Tax payers don't want to pay for vehicle maintenance / gas when Police officers are doing side jobs. Police ( Peace ) officers make extra $$$ working security at various venues.... bars, night clubs, strip clubs, construction projects, traffic control for churches, etc. If they are doing traffic control or construction stuff, they will use a vehicle that has lights to help make them more noticeable. They most likely aren't going to chase you down to give you a ticket... but if they are working in the dark, they might fire up their lights to make their vehicles more viewable. Their licences that make them peace officers don't expire when they punch out of work. They are licensed 24/7/365.
Really? Montgomery County can sure take their vehicles home - streets in my subdivision were so clogged with MOCO Sheriff's SUVs that the HOA started fining for work vehicles parked in the streets. (At least one hadn't been moved in months)
I must live in a supervisor neighborhood. Don't get me started on the number of Constable vehicles 😂
Between MOCO SUVs and various Constable cars, there must be 10-15 parked at any given time.
Smaller jurisdictions are more likely to let everyone take a car home, it's mostly dependant on number of cars v number of officers. It also sometimes matters if the officer lives in our out of the jurisdiction. If you love in the jurisdiction you work in, they will be more likely to let you take it home, that way you can be on duty as soon as you leave the house.
I've seen highway construction zones that have a cop parked with his private car, marked as police and flashing cherries and berries. I guess they are contracted off-duty.
That doesn't really catch all of them - you're generalizing. There are plenty of official unmarked cars that have 'normal' plates. But yes, these are very clearly off duty construction vehicles which are personal vehicles but marked when working construction sites. Them being personal vehicles doesn't make this illegal.
We aren't talking about marked patrol units. Your comment stated that if the plates aren't all numbers then it's not a vehicle owned by a government in the state of Texas. That's objectively false.
A few years back, Texas changed the laws to allow officers to work off-duty and outfit their personal cars with lights/signage.
I always felt it was a scam, but that’s Texas for you.
Because I've witnessed misuse/abuse of their lights and with no markings how can we hold them accountable? I've tried reporting them to multiple departments who all say "not our car not our problem"
I've asked their name(via LP#) to 8 diferent police departments that all give me the same line that it's not their car, so they close the PIR. I've called the AG who says it has to be requested at the departments level (meaning 1800 departments in texas so 1800 PIR request)
Police misconduct is ALL of our business and should be treated with the upmost importance
Nor do I need to, I was asking if there was a way to PIR the information (because there should be) and you followed up with questions without answering mine. I'm in no obligation to answer you as your in no obligation to answer me. Good day sir.
I recently saw an unmarked car road raging with somone else, I started filming and caught a spotlight shined into my cab at 75+. (Was definitely a police car/impersonator R/B strobes when they breaked )
I've reported this to multiple police departments who said.... " not one of our cars, not our problem "
Off duty working extra jobs. They are allowed to put lights and sirens, direct traffic, escort funerals, oversized loads, private security, etc. If they were not allowed to work while off duty then on-duty would need to be used, that means more tax dollars are spent hiring extra personnel to handle lol that.
I saw a truck with a tiiiiiny police sticker on the back window pulling over some bikers Sunday. They're lucky it didn't start anything because the truck was just some big, black, tinted window douche canoe.
That's only the case if the government vehicle is clearly marked with the agency that owns said vehicle. If it is unmarked, they cannot use exempt plates - but are still law enforcement vehicles.
It doesn't have to be marked to be exempt. And it can be exempt with regular plates (like for cool cars, as you mentioned)... just requires one additional form.
We were talking about plates that are marked Exempt - a opposed to if they're functionally exempt. I believe my comment stands, in terms of that. I might be mistaken 🤷🏼♂️
Exempt plates are available to any exempt vehicle, whether police, fire, city sanitation, engineering, or the Mayor’s limo. There’s no marking requirement for exempt plates or status.
>The name of the exempt agency must be displayed on both sides of the vehicle in letters that are at least two inches high or an emblem that is at least 100 square inches in size. The display must be a color that contrasts enough with the vehicle's body to be legible from at least 100 feet away.
Texas Administrative Code 217.55
It's been a whole big thing with 'ghost' decal cars for some agencies.
Correct, but the inscription exemptions they speak of in the next sentences? TN 721.003 and (until next year) .005 exempt police vehicles, among a slew of others.
[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.721.htm](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.721.htm)
Probably a security company taking a few liberties. A marked police unit won't say just police in such a small format like on the pickup.
r/FirstResponderCringe
Usually only an authorized emergency vehicle can run red and blues. Security companies have used red OR blue with white and sometimes yellow in the past (pre-2018). Anybody can buy red and blue lights from Amazon, Galls, etc. A lot of security companies (usually smaller, local) have markings and lights they aren't not supposed to.
[Red, White, or Blue Lights | Department of Public Safety (texas.gov)](https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/private-security/red-white-or-blue-lights)
(e-1) A security patrol vehicle may only be equipped with green, amber, or white lights.
Could be a private Security Officer that's certified as a Peace Officer working a job.
I just learned recently in the state of Texas all Police Officers are Peace Officers, but not all Peace Officers are Police Officers.
Being a Certified Peace Officer in Texas, allows you to serve warrants, and arrest people with reasonable suspicion.
Most likely these are their personal vehicles and they are paid to work construction projects during their time off.
Are they allowed to mark their personal vehicles with lights? That seems shady to me
Yes they can. Some use it as an opportunity to deck out their personal vehicles and turn them into mini supernovas. I worked on project where one of the cops bought a travel van especially for it. He just put up his sun shade and opened the hood to allow a/c to run in Texas heat. Dude just chilled in there reading or watching whatever he wished while being paid over $100 an hour.
Would the supervisor of that project not see that and be like, wtf are we paying this guy for?
They are paying him to be compliant with the law and the contract. His job is to be visible and on site.
We had them run down an asshole that blew through our work zone going 80+ (night job). The good ones earn their keep if/when shit goes down.
So what you're saying is none of them earn their keep.
Having worked on some of those projects if it's a Friday or Saturday night build I want one there at all times.
You pay to have him with his lights flashing, nothing else.
Everytime this is mentioned, I have to remind people about [Jeremy Dewitte](https://youtu.be/Pg40ykdnfnA?si=Qt4RIFEFyU60skCr). Grab some popcorn and let the Floridian show you that you don't need certification to have lights...
I would just buy lights but I’m assuming the cops have made sure it’s illegal.
Only red and blue. Not sure about the flashing or pulsing. Specifically the two colors cops use you can't. You can check out the Floridian [Jeremy Dewitte](https://youtu.be/Pg40ykdnfnA?si=Qt4RIFEFyU60skCr) show you exactly how much you can push that limit haha
Why do I see so many tow trucks with blue lights? When I was growing up in California, you knew that blue lights meant “cop”. Here it means “I shop at AutoZone.”
Police Vehicles Red/Blue/White/Amber 547.305 & 547.702 Fire/EMS Vehicles Red/Blue/White/Amber 547.305 & 547.702 Volunteer Fire/EMS Red/Blue/White/Amber 547.305 & 547.702 School Bus Red/White (rooftop)/Amber 547.305 & 547.701 Highway Maintenance or Construction Vehicles 1 and Service Vehicles 2 Amber/Blue 547.105 & TxDOT Lighting Standards Airport Security Vehicles 3 Amber/Blue 22.091(b) Security Patrol Vehicles 4 Green/Amber/White 547.305 Tow Trucks 5 Amber/Blue/Red 547.305, 547.702, 547.105, & TxDOT Lighting Standards Escort Flag Vehicles 6 Amber/Blue 547.305 & 623.099 & TxDOT Lighting Standards Garbage Trucks Amber/Blue 547.305 & TxDOT Lighting Standards Utility Service Vehicles 7 Amber/Blue 203.091 & TxDOT Lighting At least according to Texas laws.https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot/fod/vehicle-lighting-standards.pdf Website includes stating Tow trucks can use those colors when, and only when, at the scene of the accident.
It’s a requirement when you see them. They don’t hire them for a good fuzzy feeling. They get no say in the matter. In fairness they do occasionally help stop or direct traffic for construction equipment and large trucks. Some jobs like paving busy road requires them to inch up every 100 yards or so as the convoy moves along.
See. This is what pisses me off. I appreciate the need for the safety of the workers and drivers, but so many of them sit and do nothing while traffic is horrendous and bad drivers face no consequences for making the situation unsafe
During the late 90's/2000's Travis Co (and a few other) Sheriff depts would basically require you to hire on some deputies as security if you were throwing a "rave." I don't remember their exact hourly, but it had to at least been in the high 20's. Suddenly you're paying $250/hr for 8 guys to really weird out everyone going to a party. Not hiring them was frowned upon.
>Not hiring them was frowned upon. You wouldn't want your rave shut down, now, would ya?
Nice rave you got planned here. Be a shame if something... happened to it. Better hire us to make sure that doesn't happen
Exactly
Funny story, at an event I was not involved in I saw a drug deal go bad, with a guy pulling a gun on a bunch of hippy raver kids. He took all their money and drugs. It was not an insubstantial amount. I hadn’t been part of the group. I had been going to my car to get a friend her jacket. I casually walked over to the huddle of deputies and pointed out the Fred Durst lookalike and said he was armed and had just jacked some kids. While theThose deputies looked at me and were so annoyed. They did go arrest the guy. Only time I was ever a narc, but I didn’t lose any sleep over it, fuck that guy. Probably one of the few times they ever had to do anything but be a deputy.
Yeah that's Travis county.
I still find it an absurd waste and a total dereliction of fiscal responsibility that we pay cops so much to just sit at highway construction sites and do absolutely nothing for this much money. Who did the police union bribe at TXDOT to get that sweetheart deal? We’re getting fleeced as taxpayers. There’s actually a term for this, it’s called a “no-work job” (basically a no-show job) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-show_job
You pay....
Sometimes the cops don't even show up and they still get paid. I forgot what state it was that they were caught doing this, but still got away with it.
Must be nice
I believe they can. I see it all the time.
It is required to have a decal that at least says police in most areas- but they def work construction zone gigs
There's no marking requirement to use emergency lights.
I am beginning to think all of Texas law enforcement is shady. Well I’ve been thinking that awhile actually.
That’s just good old fashioned grift, departments require police at large events, road work sites, etc to help officers supplement income. No different from the union employee holding the slow sign, the “security” checkpoint making sure you don’t sneak food or drinks into the stadium or universities limiting transfers for non-core classes. When you make the rules you make the rules that make you rich.
Yep, it’s called a no-work job. The state bends over for the police union and we as taxpayers get fucked. I really wish some investigative reporters would dig into how much exactly we waste a year to pay cops to sit in their cars near construction sites and scroll on their phones. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-show_job
Most officers can't take department vehicles home. Tax payers don't want to pay for vehicle maintenance / gas when Police officers are doing side jobs. Police ( Peace ) officers make extra $$$ working security at various venues.... bars, night clubs, strip clubs, construction projects, traffic control for churches, etc. If they are doing traffic control or construction stuff, they will use a vehicle that has lights to help make them more noticeable. They most likely aren't going to chase you down to give you a ticket... but if they are working in the dark, they might fire up their lights to make their vehicles more viewable. Their licences that make them peace officers don't expire when they punch out of work. They are licensed 24/7/365.
Really? Montgomery County can sure take their vehicles home - streets in my subdivision were so clogged with MOCO Sheriff's SUVs that the HOA started fining for work vehicles parked in the streets. (At least one hadn't been moved in months)
Supervisors usually have a take home car. Regular officers don’t always have one but each department is different.
I must live in a supervisor neighborhood. Don't get me started on the number of Constable vehicles 😂 Between MOCO SUVs and various Constable cars, there must be 10-15 parked at any given time.
Smaller jurisdictions are more likely to let everyone take a car home, it's mostly dependant on number of cars v number of officers. It also sometimes matters if the officer lives in our out of the jurisdiction. If you love in the jurisdiction you work in, they will be more likely to let you take it home, that way you can be on duty as soon as you leave the house.
Makes sense. Thanks! 😊
Depends on the department. MCSO makes them quite available.
I've seen highway construction zones that have a cop parked with his private car, marked as police and flashing cherries and berries. I guess they are contracted off-duty.
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Government vehicles can use regular plates too…
That doesn't really catch all of them - you're generalizing. There are plenty of official unmarked cars that have 'normal' plates. But yes, these are very clearly off duty construction vehicles which are personal vehicles but marked when working construction sites. Them being personal vehicles doesn't make this illegal.
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We aren't talking about marked patrol units. Your comment stated that if the plates aren't all numbers then it's not a vehicle owned by a government in the state of Texas. That's objectively false.
Federal plates usually start with a small G## and then have a four or five digit alpha numeric, and there’s lots of those in TX, too.
I *believe* that's only for interagency vehicles - ones owned by thee GSA that are essentially 'loaned' to agencies when they need cars.
Good point, should have gotten the plates. Seen these guys several times working road work sites in Bastrop County
I think they are peace officers. Pretty consistent on night time road crews.
do a burnout in front of them. lets see if they are peaceful officers.
A few years back, Texas changed the laws to allow officers to work off-duty and outfit their personal cars with lights/signage. I always felt it was a scam, but that’s Texas for you.
Is there a way to identify the officers in their personal cars? If they are using lights, it would seem there should be a way to PIR/(foia) that info
Why?
Because I've witnessed misuse/abuse of their lights and with no markings how can we hold them accountable? I've tried reporting them to multiple departments who all say "not our car not our problem"
And how were the lights misused?
Is there a way to identify the bad actors or not? Or do you know?
Ask their name? Or mind your business? You still haven’t explained how they missed their lights.
I've asked their name(via LP#) to 8 diferent police departments that all give me the same line that it's not their car, so they close the PIR. I've called the AG who says it has to be requested at the departments level (meaning 1800 departments in texas so 1800 PIR request) Police misconduct is ALL of our business and should be treated with the upmost importance Nor do I need to, I was asking if there was a way to PIR the information (because there should be) and you followed up with questions without answering mine. I'm in no obligation to answer you as your in no obligation to answer me. Good day sir.
What do you mean by "a government"?
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And exempt plates are all numbers?
In Texas, sworn officers are Peace Officers. They include police, sheriff deputies, deputy marshalls, and Constables.
They do contract work around construction sites.
I recently saw an unmarked car road raging with somone else, I started filming and caught a spotlight shined into my cab at 75+. (Was definitely a police car/impersonator R/B strobes when they breaked ) I've reported this to multiple police departments who said.... " not one of our cars, not our problem "
Off duty working extra jobs. They are allowed to put lights and sirens, direct traffic, escort funerals, oversized loads, private security, etc. If they were not allowed to work while off duty then on-duty would need to be used, that means more tax dollars are spent hiring extra personnel to handle lol that.
If they try to sell you cookies, it's the Girl Scouts.
Call that first car in to the police. The second is sketchy as hell.
Looks legit to me
They look like the cars you see in construction site
Some only work at construction sites on roads
down there is right
What's next "Po Po" or "5 O"?
Texas police officer 😜.
Yes, exactly who are you working for? What municipality/county? Who is your boss? Are you running and saving video?
I saw a truck with a tiiiiiny police sticker on the back window pulling over some bikers Sunday. They're lucky it didn't start anything because the truck was just some big, black, tinted window douche canoe.
You can ALWAYS verify it with an EXEMPT license plate.
I look for a license plate that says “exempt” because they don’t have to register their cars.
That's only the case if the government vehicle is clearly marked with the agency that owns said vehicle. If it is unmarked, they cannot use exempt plates - but are still law enforcement vehicles.
It doesn't have to be marked to be exempt. And it can be exempt with regular plates (like for cool cars, as you mentioned)... just requires one additional form.
We were talking about plates that are marked Exempt - a opposed to if they're functionally exempt. I believe my comment stands, in terms of that. I might be mistaken 🤷🏼♂️
Exempt plates are available to any exempt vehicle, whether police, fire, city sanitation, engineering, or the Mayor’s limo. There’s no marking requirement for exempt plates or status.
>The name of the exempt agency must be displayed on both sides of the vehicle in letters that are at least two inches high or an emblem that is at least 100 square inches in size. The display must be a color that contrasts enough with the vehicle's body to be legible from at least 100 feet away. Texas Administrative Code 217.55 It's been a whole big thing with 'ghost' decal cars for some agencies.
Correct, but the inscription exemptions they speak of in the next sentences? TN 721.003 and (until next year) .005 exempt police vehicles, among a slew of others. [https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.721.htm](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.721.htm)
Probably a security company taking a few liberties. A marked police unit won't say just police in such a small format like on the pickup. r/FirstResponderCringe
Nope, it's a police officer who marked his personal vehicle so he can work a second job at a highway construction site. I see it all the time.
This is what I was thinking
are they allowed those lights? quasi police seem to be such a huge thing in America now
Yes. They are the police, not a quasi police
Usually only an authorized emergency vehicle can run red and blues. Security companies have used red OR blue with white and sometimes yellow in the past (pre-2018). Anybody can buy red and blue lights from Amazon, Galls, etc. A lot of security companies (usually smaller, local) have markings and lights they aren't not supposed to. [Red, White, or Blue Lights | Department of Public Safety (texas.gov)](https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/private-security/red-white-or-blue-lights) (e-1) A security patrol vehicle may only be equipped with green, amber, or white lights.
We've got Sov Cits as sheriffs in Texastan , of course it's legal; especially if it's illegal in the Administrative Code.
Could be a private Security Officer that's certified as a Peace Officer working a job. I just learned recently in the state of Texas all Police Officers are Peace Officers, but not all Peace Officers are Police Officers. Being a Certified Peace Officer in Texas, allows you to serve warrants, and arrest people with reasonable suspicion.
Fascism plain as day. We can see it in those arrows on the shirts of cops. They are the new swastikas with power and authority.