ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Police personnel working traffic enforcement in Florida have turned to muscle cars to help combat the dangers of speeding and reckless driving in the state, according to 10 Tampa Bay.
Unmarked vehicles like the Ford Mustang GT, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro are instrumental in forcing offenders to rethink their driving habits as officers with stealthy vehicles are easily able to catch dangerous traffic violators.
Sgt. Michael Schade of the St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) told the news outlet these vehicles allow officers to catch drivers who endanger other motorists with risky behavior.
“They’re driving thinking an officer isn’t in the area. By having a vehicle like this, we’re able to curb that type of activity,” said Schade.
Thus far, the Mustang is the only unmarked muscle car in the SPPD fleet. However, the agency has plans to add more vehicles shortly, CarBuzz reported.
Meanwhile, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has about a dozen unmarked Dodge Challengers in varying colors deployed. The agency started adding muscle cars to its traffic unit in 2019, first with unmarked Chevrolet Camaros, according to 10 Tampa Bay.
“We went a little outside the box,” said Cpl. Donald Rizer with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office traffic unit.
“This helps us be in a situation where we can witness things when you’re like, ‘where’s the cop when you need one,’ well I might be right beside you.”
Rizer said their primary goal remains education as opposed to writing tickets.
“Everyone who gets a ticket deserves a ticket,” he said. “But if you don’t deserve a ticket and you can use the education—because the average public, they’re never even going to come in contact with law enforcement—that’s my opportunity to break that ice.”
Compared to some states, like California, law enforcement agencies in Florida face very few restrictions while deploying unmarked police units for traffic enforcement.
