Drivers weaving in and out of lanes, speeding and road raging may see themselves pulled over by a nontraditional law enforcement vehicle as the California Highway Patrol adds low-profile vehicles in a bid to target reckless drivers.
Describing the level of recklessness seen on highways and roads as “video game-styled,” the CHP’s addition of 100 Dodge Durangos that resemble the vehicle of a garden-variety commuter rather than a law enforcement officer is meant to curb dangerous driving that many partake in when they think officers aren’t watching.
“This is how they drive all the time other than when they see that cop car. The purpose is to try and catch those drivers to deter them from driving like that, to take proper enforcement action and get those drivers off the road,” Officer Alec Pereyda said Monday.
The agency’s current fleet includes Ford Explorers, Chevy Tahoes and Dodge Chargers along with the new Durangos, which are being rolled out at all of the agency’s Southern Division offices. In particularly densely populated areas of Los Angeles County, offices will receive multiple Durangos. 400 Dodge Durangos will be added to the fleet total, but 100 will receive the specialized low-profile markings, while the other 300 will be more traditional-looking patrol vehicles.
Rather than the typical black and white coloring synonymous with law enforcement vehicles, the low-profile vehicles will be a variety of standard Dodge manufacturer colors, including burgundy, navy blue, black, silver and gray, though the vehicles are still emblazoned with the CHP logo on the sides.
This allows them to “blend into traffic just enough to observe the most reckless and dangerous behaviors without immediate detection,” according to a CHP news release.
While the CHP’s tactics also include a strong visual presence in traditional law enforcement vehicles, the new vehicles will target drivers who “behave” when they see a police car, but go back to speeding the moment they see it disappear.
The new vehicles have what the agency calls a “slick top,” meaning that instead of lights on top, the lights are on the interior top of the front and rear windows and on the side and bottom of the vehicle.
The new cars are faster than the CHP’s current patrol vehicles, so they will be able to “keep up.”
“This one is a faster vehicle. It has a V8 Hemi [engine] inside the car, so it is definitely something with a little more power compared to all of our other cars that only have the V6s,” Pereyda said.
Officers have immediately noticed cars driving at higher speeds than usually observed on patrol as they begin to work out of the low-profile Durangos, Pereyda said. Officers from the Baldwin Park CHP office were some of the first to receive the new vehicles. The agency is rolling out the new vehicles at different offices across the state each day and all of them will be patrolling the streets and highways by June.
The low-profile cars are not meant to take law-abiding drivers by surprise, Pereyda emphasized, but with over 1,000 calls a day reporting reckless driving in Los Angeles County alone, the cars are meant to help get those who pose a danger off the road. Last year, the agency reported almost 18,000 citations for speeding over 100 mph, demonstrating the frequency high speeds are seen in the state.
“These cars aren’t meant to prey on normal and unsuspecting people,” he said. “These are meant for those speeding and aggressive drivers.”
