les…@naomi.b23b.ingr.com writes:
>How do I know if I should stop if a driver flashes a light (of any color,
>red, blue, white…) at me?  If it is a marked police car, I know I
>should stop.  But what if it is an unmarked car?  How do I know I can
>trust the individual to be a legit police officer?  Am I required to
>stop for unmarked cars (especially at night)?  Lights can be had at any
>K-mart, and there have been some cases of impersonating an officer in
>the news.  I wanna know so that I don’t get shot at/accused of eluding
>an officer/etc.

There are many who aspire to become sheriffs in their own minds. In the DC
area recently, motorists have reported being stopped by drivers with light
racks who turn out to be bums. Sometimes, they just fuss at the driver for
going too fast, "pushing" a red light, or whatever, but there was a case
where one of these yahoos ended up in a high-speed chase and cracked up
against a utility pole. Women in particular, travelling alone, seem to be
easy targets.

The DC, MD, and VA police all have said that they recognise the problem,
that they’re trying to do something about it, etc etc. They also said
that if a motorist is being stopped by an unmarked cruiser, they would
not hold it against the driver to continue to a well-lit, populated place,
so long as there is no indication of any attempt to get away. Some sort of
acknowledgement, perhaps a hand signal (NOT the one I’m thinking of!  q:-))
might be appropriate, I don’t know; the cop might think you’re flipping him
off.

Now if the cruiser is marked, that’s a different story.

If you do pull over for a "plain wrapper" and the dude approaches your car,
look for a badge. If you don’t see one, get away.

-jc