There is an article in the Montreal Gazette which tells the story of a West Island driver named Jesse Fagen who is outraged that the police used an unmarked Dodge Caravan to pull a motorist over. There are some problems with it, however.
Contrary to what the article states, unmarked police vehicles have been around forever and are not a new thing. Furthermore, the SPVM has used Dodge Caravans as far back as I can remember (both marked and unmarked).
It’s customary for higher ranking police officers to drive the unmarked ones and should they encounter a motorist breaking the law I would expect them to be able to pull that motorist over.
Here are some of the quotes that the article attributes to Mr. Fagen:
“It’s underhanded – trying to fool people,”
“Think about it,” he said. “Like this, the public is never going to know when there are police officers around them.”
“We’re going to start being pulled over by Kias now?”
Mr. Fagen apparently believes it is ok to drive dangerously as long as you don’t see a police car. That’s ridiculous. I’m also troubled by something the author herself wrote in the article:
But it’s tough when you’re rushing around, trying to get through your day.
When one is in a rush, the rules of the road are a tough thing to obey? The rules of the road apply to everyone weather they are “in a rush” or not.
There are no laws governing the use of a specific vehicle by police officers. If you’re caught breaking the law by one on foot, on a bicycle, on a horse or driving a Kia, it’s your own actions that you should be worried about, not the brand of the car the police officer was driving.
