I don't post on here much, but reading through the comments I had to state a few things...
As previously mentioned there may be a multitude of reason why a police officer may be speeding with no lights on. In PA we pace cars with our speedos or vascar units and that requires that we keep pace with the target vehicle. So if the target is travelling at 85, then so am I. Also if you are en route to a potentially dangerous call, you do not want to announce your approach to the bad guys with audible and visual signals that scream "here I am please shoot at me". As far as running lights go for traffic enforcement, it is not a requirement in PA. It seems to be one of those urban police legends like getting a ticket a for driving barefoot (not a law...at least not in PA). On a final note, its sad to see that some agencies are stuck in the 19th century when it comes to wearing hats. My agency also requires it, but I tell all my guys that their first priority is keeping their eyes on the car they just stopped and not looking around the front seat for their damn hat. Several officers have been killed in ambushes while looking for their hats and not watching the people in the car. For this reason I encourage all officers to make their initial approach without their hats. After they have determined that all appears OK with the driver/occupants, then wear it on your followup visit to the car.
As previously mentioned there may be a multitude of reason why a police officer may be speeding with no lights on. In PA we pace cars with our speedos or vascar units and that requires that we keep pace with the target vehicle. So if the target is travelling at 85, then so am I. Also if you are en route to a potentially dangerous call, you do not want to announce your approach to the bad guys with audible and visual signals that scream "here I am please shoot at me". As far as running lights go for traffic enforcement, it is not a requirement in PA. It seems to be one of those urban police legends like getting a ticket a for driving barefoot (not a law...at least not in PA). On a final note, its sad to see that some agencies are stuck in the 19th century when it comes to wearing hats. My agency also requires it, but I tell all my guys that their first priority is keeping their eyes on the car they just stopped and not looking around the front seat for their damn hat. Several officers have been killed in ambushes while looking for their hats and not watching the people in the car. For this reason I encourage all officers to make their initial approach without their hats. After they have determined that all appears OK with the driver/occupants, then wear it on your followup visit to the car.
Last edited: