Ford made the internet go bonkers last week when it announced a new 'low profile' Police Interceptor that hides the fact that it's a police car. Here's how to keep from getting caught by it. 

Ford has been making police vehicles for decades. The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was the vehicle of choice for the Maine State Police for many years.

Ford's latest model has ditched the old model of a light bar on the roof and attached the factory installed lights to the windshield, making it difficult to identify as a police vehicle.

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This type of police vehicle is nothing new to Maine roads. Many police vehicles operate with no light bar to identify them and some go even further and operate unmarked with standard license plates.

Some Facebook users are in an uproar over this. Something about it's a free country and why should police hide?

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So let me see if I understand these people correctly. Because there are unmarked police cruisers, we live in a totalitarian police state and have no freedom? Please.

My take is that anyone who is upset that there are police vehicles that don't look like police vehicles just wants the freedom to be able to go as fast as they want on Maine roads. If you are afraid you're going to get a ticket for speeding because you didn't see the low-profile police cruiser, there's a simple way to avoid it...don't speed.

Quite the concept huh? Going faster than the posted speed limit is breaking the law. Period. Don't do it and you have nothing to worry about.

I also don't buy this concept that there's some sort of quota that police need to meet each month in traffic violations. I've never seen any proof of this yet people claim that there is one, so police vehicles should be clearly marked so drivers can be aware of them on highways and drivers can slow down. Once again, if you aren't speeding in the first place, you have nothing to worry about.

Others claim cars should be marked so you can find a police officer when you need one. Seriously? This is the 21st century when we can't put our phones down for more than 10 minutes. Grab it and call 911. It's quicker.

This is nothing new for Maine anyway, and the real story about this low-profile Ford Interceptor is that departments no longer need to add after market lights to their vehicles, which the State Police has been doing for some years now.

Speed related road deaths were at a 70-year-low in 2015, but that's attributed in part to better enforcement.  If a low-profile vehicle makes you think that any car on the road could have a police officer behind the wheel, that can only help bring highway accidents down further. Your freedom is not being infringed upon. If you slow down and go the speed limit, not only will you not get a ticket being caught from this type of vehicle, you might actually prevent an accident that could injure you or someone else.

What do you think? Should all police vehicles be marked? Do you think this is good or bad for the highways? Should we raise the speed limit to 110? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 

 

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