(This concern comes from a law-abiding citizen with no bias towards anyone)
Modern life has taught us one thing: trust is not automatically earned or assumed in today's world. Built to a fever pitch, a person's overwhelming trust can be claimed as being naive - and these are the people who can end up being victims of con-artists... or con-cars, to quote a unique term.
If we remember our schooling, we were taught at a very young age that police are there to help us, and we must respect them in return. In my experience, I believe as such.
It says a lot, however, when senior citizens increasingly get hurt or conned out of their possessions by people posing as police officers. The hardware these con-men wear so closely resemble regulation police hardware at times, the victims can't tell the difference between what's real and what isn't. This does much to give police departments unfair & negative reputations they don't deserve.
I have never been the victim of a con, because I am too careful and wary when I'm out. As far as being had by a "con-car", though, it's happened to me a few times.
The experiences themselves were fortunately limited to instances where I thought a patrol cruiser was on my tail, and I would try to figure out what I did wrong. Instead, it ends up being some nut's joyride gag: a model car, with the patrol colors intact, the extra lights in the grille, and with those searchlights still mounted on the side doors. One time, after following me at a heart-racing distance of one mile, such a car cut back in front of me, with its occupants giving me the "salute", while laughing at my stone-white face.
What will happen to my trust factor the next time I'm in that area? Note that it will never disappear, but you can bet it will take a hit after awhile.
I now hear that many of the older patrol cars are available for purchase at local auto auctions with surplus sales. But I ask this: If these cars are now fit to be civilian mode, driven by regular people... why are all the extras allowed to be kept, as if the car were still under police service?
Years ago, I liked the idea of that bright neon tubing underneath the car as a "fashion statement"; turns out those lights are illegal. I therefore doubt they would let me put searchlights on my own personal vehicle. So why aren't they removed on these surplus vehicles? Once they're declared "civilian", they should conform to every condition a normal civilian car has been.
My heart is beating well and my skin color is normal. But "having eyes in the back of your head" is no longer just an expression: it's a reality to the law-abiding citizens such as myself who don't handle panic too well.
It's the lowest form of being a punchline to someone's sick jokes. You don't trample official authority through the mud.
