State police blends into traffic using ‘Low-profile’ vehicles

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Colored, low-profile Arkansas State Police vehicles are often seen but many people fail recognize them as patrol cars. Next time you see one of these cars on the road, it just might be a low profile unit at work. There are two unconventional patrol cars assigned to each Highway Patrol Troop in the state of Arkansas.

These patrol cars are different colors and come equipped just like a conventional patrol car, though they do not have the roof-mounted bar light.

These cars are marked only on the passenger’s side with the familiar State Police star and blue stripe. The intention in the choice of color, removing the exterior emergency lighting and markings on one side, make the cars better suited for blending into traffic, allowing ASP Troopers a better opportunity to witness more violations.

Experience has demonstrated that flagrant violators typically scan traffic looking for the common markings of an Arkansas State Police patrol car. With these vehicles, officials are trying to change what a violator might be looking for and arrive at a better position to document the violation before initiating the traffic stop.

Whenever safely possible if traveling along a divided highway, a trooper will move into a position allowing the violator to get a better view of the right-side markings of the patrol car. The trooper will then fall back behind the violator to initiate the traffic stop with a blue emergency light across the top interior of the front windshield.

Arkansas State Police remind the public to pay close attention to vehicles around them, and if a blue lighted vehicle gets behind ones vehicle and the driver feels unsafe, or doubts that it is a legitimate law enforcement vehicle, the public should turn on hazard lights, slow down, and proceed to an area where they feel safe.

By following these caution procedures the trooper will become aware that the person acknowledges him/her behind and is simply proceeding to a safe place in order to undergo the traffic stop.

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