NYPD Undercover Taxi-IS THIS REAL?

[cbpdogboy]

I would certainly not pull over for a taxi cab with emergency lights. Especially if there is a plain clothes "officer" driving it...

What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... d+cab&aq=f

 

[JohnMarcson]

Looks shady as hell. With all the diplomats and city employees running hot in various vehicles in NYC it doesn't surprise me.

 

[R. Dodd 10-75 E.L.]

yes they do. I saw one when i was doing a demo with panisonic for the nypd highway patrol. Had corner strobe, cudas in the grill and had all the taxi stuff on the dash

 

[Mike L.]

When Washington State Patrol started their aggressive driving unit, they used taxi cabs. Though the troopers were uniformed. I have heard of NYC using undercover taxi cabs before but I always thought it was for their taxi enforcement division.

 

[EMS10EMT]

When Washington State Patrol started their aggressive driving unit, they used taxi cabs. Though the troopers were uniformed. I have heard of NYC using undercover taxi cabs before but I always thought it was for their taxi enforcement division.

I think they (NYPD) use the taxi's as part of their anti-crime teams. The average person would never expect 2 detectives sitting in a taxi.

 

[pdk9]

i've lived in NY for the past 22 yrs (til recently) and i've only seen a handful of them. HLF, corner strobes, pair of red grill cudas, a FS beacon on the dash, strobes on the reverse lights. i've only seen them with uniformed officers operating w/ them, though, and with the exception of one time (when it was at a minor prop.-damage MVA 2 blocks away from the local task force HQ/precinct), i personally've only seen those unmarked NYPD taxis pulling ppl over/on V&T's, never responding Code3 across town to calls.


(it was kinda funny tho....on the one time when i saw the officers w/ the undercover taxi at the MVA, a snotty lady came up and started yelling at the officer, who was trying to collect info from the drivers involved in the MVA, to get back in the cab and take her to wherever....even w/ the uniformed officers, flashing lights on the vehicle, laptop in the center, and she still thought it was a cab waiting for her for a fare? :lol: common sense is so uncommon.)

 

[Stendec]

I'd think it would have a lot of utility in a cab-heavy city, particularly if you have a string of cab robberies, or dopers selling out of cabs.


Someplace had their taxi medallions riveted to the hood by one pop rivet. When cabs were stopped in traffic kids would swarm them, one would climb on the hood with a pair of vice-grips, and yank the tag off. They'd sell them for like fifty bucks.

 

[Pimp]

A former board member and NYPD employee confirmed this a few years ago on here.

 

[snapbox]

I've seem them parked at precincts on the west side (can't remember what number.... near the Javits center?) They even have MDTs!


If I remember correctly, they do not have numbers on the roof, which makes them easy to spot if you're paying attention.

 

[Mike L.]

Gotta admit though...it makes it hard to use the standard argument "what do i look like, a friggen taxi?" :lol:

 

[John]

If I remember correctly, they do not have numbers on the roof, which makes them easy to spot if you're paying attention.

Not quite. They have a medallion number in the roof marker but they have TLC plates that do not match the medallion number (NYC taxi plates all match the medallion). On some the roof light flashes when they turn on the lights. There are only a handful in the city and the lighting packages vary significantly. They have been in use since the as far back as the 80's. Here are some images:











Typically you don't see 4 grille lights on a job car in the city.

 

[VolEms]

They are very real. You dont see many around.

 

[TheGatekeeper]

If I remember well, using a yellow cab was an idea that came with the pionneers of the NYPD ACU back in the mid-seventies. The funny part was that a ACU cop was driving, and his partners (s) were sitting in the back as passengers.


I personnally "interacted" with one of these crews back in 96.


Doubled-parked in my 94 Caprice on some street behind a couple of black CrownVics in downtown Manhattan, engine idling, I'm spreading my map to figure out how to get to my destination address (I lived in Toronto back then). Yellow cab pulls up by my (open) window, to the whooping sound of its FS siren.


Cab FRONT passenger : "Move the car"


Me: "Hello too. If you just gave me 15 seconds, I'm checking my map and I'm on my way, sir"


Him: "Sir, move the car. NOW!"


Me: "Absolutely" (Thinking these guys probably never got the CPR training... :lol: )


And then as I pulled up and drove by the black CVs, I saw Rudy Giuliani coming out of a building with some entourage.

 

[paro22]

Not anymore. They now have the standard 4-digit medallion # on the license plates, just like all other Yellow Cabs. Very hard to discern. Most midtown precincts have one or two, often used by Anti Crime. It is not unusual to see teams of 3-4 per "cab", often non-uniformed. One thing they will never have is the rooftop advertisements like almost all real cabs have these days...just the classic medallion number & "off duty" sign.


They come in very handy in NYC.

 

[EMS10EMT]

This one looks "newer" I think its cool that even the amber indicators on top have strobes in them.

 

[DEPUTYSTEPHENSON]

I like the use of the taxi's and believe that they would make a great enforcement vehicle for aggressive driving units (traffic unit).

 

[Harbor Patrol]

highway patrol also uses the yellow cab, has red and blue leds, ive seen them on the road

 

[FireEMSPolice]

Here is a question: Are they P71's or P70's (stretch)? I know the NYC cabs are P70's but I am curious if the NYPD cabs are P71's.

 

[BigDogg795]

I believe they are P71's...also don't forget, the City of NY does have TLC inspectors (Peace Officers) who are supposed to enforce TLC law in NYC (obviously lol).

 

[pdk9]

They have a medallion number in the roof marker but they have TLC plates that do not match the medallion number

+1...that's how i can usually point them out (although there is occasionally a real taxi with a NY taxi tag that isn't the 4-character medallion number)

 

[TheGatekeeper]

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[tomx20]

What a great idea.. I would never think a taxi was a cop car. But I can also see how it would be difficult for them to get to a call due to people not believing they were police..

 

[TheGatekeeper]

ACU cops are taught that it's often faster to get to destination without lights or siren. Run silent, run deep.

 

[irishrover]

When Washington State Patrol started their aggressive driving unit, they used taxi cabs. Though the troopers were uniformed. I have heard of NYC using undercover taxi cabs before but I always thought it was for their taxi enforcement division.

The Washington State Patrol only ran the taxi program for a very short time due to all of the confusion it was causing. A buddy of mine was assigned to the ADAT program with the WSP for 2 years. He drove an unmarked Camaro for a short time, and then traded up into an Impala. He said they had nothing but problems with the taxi prgram. For a short time, troopers were running radar sitting in D.O.T. tractors and wearing civilian clothes, as well as posing as flaggers in marked "construction zones". That was also short lived although alot of un-assuming motorists were cited.

 

[TACKLEBERRY]

The Massachusetts State Police have some yellow P71's that are used in and around the Boston area. They don't go as far as NY making them look like legit Taxi's though; they're just yellow, have internal lights and display State Trooper license plates. They've also started using black Crown Vics with the 'street appearance package' with dark limo tint windows and diplaying MA Livery plates.


But if you ask me it's the 'Aggressive Driving Task Force' Troopers that drive around in Ford Mustangs, Dodge Rams, Nissan Pathfinders, Honda Accords, ect that are the hardest to spot (which is the whole point).

 

[BigDogg795]

Here's another video I came across...

 

[ffemt045]

Yes they are reay, was in NYC last month and saw first hand. Some other out of towners were getting a cab and this cab pulled up at the traffice light, the guy opened the door and what like "WOOOO ill get a differnt cab" funny as hell.

 

[Mike L.]

The Washington State Patrol only ran the taxi program for a very short time due to all of the confusion it was causing. A buddy of mine was assigned to the ADAT program with the WSP for 2 years. He drove an unmarked Camaro for a short time, and then traded up into an Impala. He said they had nothing but problems with the taxi prgram. For a short time, troopers were running radar sitting in D.O.T. tractors and wearing civilian clothes, as well as posing as flaggers in marked "construction zones". That was also short lived although alot of un-assuming motorists were cited.

Yeah I am aware of that. When I was a LEO we used to have our traffic officers stand in work zones with a hard hat and hold the LIDAR on a tripod so they looked like a surveyor...very effective.


I remember the issues with the WSP taxi program. If I remember correctly it was targeting primarily the Ft. Lewis / Spanaway area and the taxi they used was made to look like one of those. Now they just use every other vehicle under the sun. I miss their old Volvo wagons that they used to use.


The company I now work for, Boeing, participates in the WSP step up and ride program and has a couple of Semi's with the logo on the side. Funny a couple of years ago a WSP trooper pulled over one of our semi's and was wondering why we had a WSP logo on the side of the box. Guess he missed the memo.

 

[nerdly_dood]

The Massachusetts State Police have some yellow P71's that are used in and around the Boston area. They don't go as far as NY making them look like legit Taxi's though; they're just yellow, have internal lights and display State Trooper license plates. They've also started using black Crown Vics with the 'street appearance package' with dark limo tint windows and diplaying MA Livery plates.

A black, gray or white Crown Vic is an instant cop giveaway. Better option to stay subtle while still using a police package is a Chevy Impala - everyone's heard about the Charger, so even while it's very common as a civilian car, it's still got some cop stigma attached to it (still much less than the Crown Victoria) - the Impala isn't common as a police car, and it's not widely publicized as the latest and greatest cop car, so it's generally thought of as a civilian car - until the blue lights come on.

 

[TheGatekeeper]

The total undercover mode for traffic enforcement has its drawbacks, especially if the undercover unit is also the intercepting one.


With the widespread availability of emergency equipment, and the bunch of whackers buying them online or else, I would think twice before yielding to an "unusual" vehicle posing as a police car, especially as I probably can't even clearly makeout if its driver is in uniform or not. :?

 

[BigDogg795]

A black, gray or white Crown Vic is an instant cop giveaway. Better option to stay subtle while still using a police package is a Chevy Impala - everyone's heard about the Charger, so even while it's very common as a civilian car, it's still got some cop stigma attached to it (still much less than the Crown Victoria) - the Impala isn't common as a police car, and it's not widely publicized as the latest and greatest cop car, so it's generally thought of as a civilian car - until the blue lights come on.

Lol, unless you're in the NYC Metro area!

 

[nerdly_dood]

Lol, unless you're in the NYC Metro area!

True - some places use them a lot. I think Pittsburgh uses Impalas exclusively.

 

[UndercoverVLS]

YES, these are real. My brother-in-law patrols in one on a daily basis as a special DWI unit in Manhattan. I believe the first picture that John posted is at MTTF, he can confirm that, and that may be the actual cab he uses. A lot of anti-crime (plainclothes) units use them as well. And for the football fans here, I believe Mr. Edwards was actually stopped by the unmarked or marked cab the other night for his DWI encounter.


There was one incident recently where there was a robbery and the perp ran out of the building jumped in a cab and yelled for the driver to go. Turned out it was a police car. Bad luck I guess lol.

 

[UndercoverVLS]

A black, gray or white Crown Vic is an instant cop giveaway. Better option to stay subtle while still using a police package is a Chevy Impala - everyone's heard about the Charger, so even while it's very common as a civilian car, it's still got some cop stigma attached to it (still much less than the Crown Victoria) - the Impala isn't common as a police car, and it's not widely publicized as the latest and greatest cop car, so it's generally thought of as a civilian car - until the blue lights come on.

Lots of marked police cars in NYC are Impalas, and I'd say about 85-90% of our unmarked vehicles are impalas as well. Very few unmarked vehicles in NYC are Vics. And the ones that are usually aren't going to stop you, unless its highway patrol.


But for the rest of the country you are probably right with what you said.

 

[bunnyfurr]

The Washington State Patrol only ran the taxi program for a very short time due to all of the confusion it was causing. A buddy of mine was assigned to the ADAT program with the WSP for 2 years. He drove an unmarked Camaro for a short time, and then traded up into an Impala. He said they had nothing but problems with the taxi prgram. For a short time, troopers were running radar sitting in D.O.T. tractors and wearing civilian clothes, as well as posing as flaggers in marked "construction zones". That was also short lived although alot of un-assuming motorists were cited.

WSP is still using the taxi in the north sound as it was sitting on the on ramp southbound two weeks back near Stanwood working radar!!

 

[tomx20]

The MA State Police have been using a lot of Ford Taurus' (2nd to latest gen.), and a bunch of Fusions. I can't wait to see the new 2012 MSP Marked Police (Taurus) Interceptors!

 

[911]

honestly, there are about just as many crown vics unmarkeds as impala's


now chargers are very scarce........


the list is as follows for nyc unmarked auto's owned or leased by the nypd


crown vic's


impala


charger


trail blazer


blazer


explorers


escape's


taurus


500


grand cherokee


liberty


grand caravan


e350


tahoes


suburbans


yukons


honda civic - hybrid


i can go on and on !!!

 

[sycobiker2]

yes its real, there used from local patrol to highway patrol uncover units etc's

 

[FDNY 10-75]

From what I understand they use FedEx trucks and other delivery/repair vehicles (plummer vans) as well...

 

[TheGatekeeper]

Well, maybe this is stretching a bit... :roll:


They might borrow a FedEx van and uniform to conduct a controlled delivery by one of their officers posing as a courier, but I doubt FedEx -or any other "real" carrier- would want/allow its brandname to be constantly associated with traffic enforcement.