I am sending you out like
sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (NIV) Matthew 10:16
By now you likely have heard about the incident involving
Yingying Zhang. A visiting scholar at the University of Illinois, she
disappeared in early June after being seen entering a car. Through the time of
this writing she is still missing. However, the police have arrested a suspect.
This tragic matter underscores the importance of being careful
about one’s safety. In this post, I will focus on two aspects of this topic:
protecting oneself when hailing a taxi or using a ride service, and
understanding the use of unmarked police cars.
Safety regarding taxis and ride services
Before entering a taxi that you have summoned, verify that
the driver really is the driver. Generally speaking, a driver is required to
post personal information for passengers, and such information most likely is
behind the driver’s seat. It should include the name and photograph of the
driver. A good idea would be to photograph this information. Consider also
photographing the license number of the taxi. Be aware that in many states,
taxis and other vehicles have both front and rear license plates. In others,
such as Pennsylvania, however, they have only rear plates.
Having this information yourself, while better than nothing,
is still of limited use. To more fully protect yourself, make sure someone else
knows it, such as a friend, spouse or other person. Equally important: make sure
the driver knows that someone else knows. Therefore, after you photograph the
driver information sheet or the tax license plate, text the information to
another person, but also call the person and let that person know, loudly
enough so the driver can hear. While no guarantee of safety, doing so does
reduce the chances that the driver might attempt anything improper. If anything
were to happen to you, the driver knows that he or she would be the first
person the police would contact.
The same general precautions apply if you are using a
service such as Uber. In these cases, you may already know details about your
ride, because the service may send it to your phone. In this case, you can
either use any “share ride details” feature, or else capture the screen as a
photo yourself and text it. If you are in a place where many drivers are likely
to gather, such as a theater or concert hall at the end of a performance, make
sure that the ride is really your ride. Even if the driver is genuine,
selecting the wrong one may result in your going to an unknown or undesired destination.
Understanding the use of unmarked police cars
This information is useful if you are or will be driving. Most
of not all local police departments use unmarked cars. Such cars look like
regular cars—that is, they will not have conspicuous roof-mounted emergency
lights, and also will not have special paint patterns or signage to indicate a
police car. Although different states and local departments may have their own
policies and regulations, here are some things to consider nonetheless:
-
Is the person wearing a uniform, or not
In Pennsylvania, police officers who drive unmarked cards
must be in uniform. 37 Pa. Code § 42.21.
An officer also must carry identification to verify his or her identity
unless doing so jeopardizes the officer’s safety due to work assignment, and
shall produce it upon request. Id.
Other states may or may not have the same requirement. Or,
in other states, different policies might exist depending on the county or
municipality itself.
FYI I have observed, in New York City, unmarked police cars driven
by plainclothes rather than uniformed officers. Either New York State or New York
City have no equivalent regulation to that of Pennsylvania, or else the
officers were disregarding it.
-
Type of emergency lights
The Pennsylvania vehicle code outlines the types of lights
an unmarked police car MAY have. It does not, from what I saw, outline the
types of lights it MUST have. However, I suspect that a genuine unmarked police
car with its emergency lights on, whether in Pennsylvania or any other place,
will resemble the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Put another way: be wary
of a car that has, for example, only a single light, be it red, blue or any
other color.
In any case, if you have any concerns about whether a car is
truly a police car, you could try calling 911. Then describe your situation and
request a regular marked car to come.
The above information
does not constitute legal advice and does not form an attorney-client
privilege. This information is not guaranteed to produce any particular result.
Calvin Sun, Attorney at Law
610-296-3947, cell 215-983-3723
We Chat: calvin_t_sun
