The Lansdale Borough Police Department's "ghost car" was driven by Lt. Ryan Devlin on Founders Day.
The Lansdale Borough Police Department has a new tool at it’s disposal when it comes to traffic enforcement, by way of a brand new, blacked-out Dodge Charger commonly referred to as a “ghost car.”
The vehicle—which was purchased to replace a cruiser that had been taken out of service—bears all the necessary graphics so drivers can identify it as a police vehicle, but the lettering, lights and markings are subdued in a way that adds a bit of stealth to their daytime traffic enforcement.
“We are able to get a little bit of covertness, so to speak, from the vehicle,” said Michael Trail, Lansdale Borough Police Chief. “Traffic enforcement in a black and white marked car with a roof mounted light bar sometimes can be difficult.”
The graphics, which are highly reflective at night, blend in with the exterior paint of the vehicle, so the vehicle does not appear to be related to law enforcement in passing. Such stealth has allowed other law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania to catch dangerous drivers in their natural habitat.
"If I am in a marked police vehicle, drivers are usually polite, slow down and are extra cautious," said Fountain Hill Police Chief Ed Bachert, in a feature by The Morning Call. "If you are in an unmarked car, you are seeing drivers the way they drive every day. And sometimes that's aggressive and angry."
The vehicle—which cost roughly the same as a normal police cruiser—is outfitted with Chrysler Uconnect, which Trail described as a “tough interface” that also frees up space.
“The screen that would normally occupy the front of the vehicle is actually built into the car,” said Trail, adding that the interface also provides more safety to officers due to the computer not being mounted to the front of the interior.
The vehicle also features the Ambush Alert package, which uses park sensors around the vehicle to alert police when people are approaching.
“When people come up to the vehicle and park mode is on, the radar around the vehicle will sense that, roll the windows up, lock the doors and alert the officer,” said Trail.
The so-called “ghost cars” have lead to decreases in accidents and traffic-related incidents in other municipalities. According to the feature by The Morning Call, Salisbury Township Police Officer Bryan Losagio noted a 30 percent reduction in crashes in the area he patrolled with his stealth vehicle. Losagio added that he believed the reduction was due in part to public knowledge that police were using vehicles designed to blend in, something that Trail echoed.
“Although we’re not trying to be surreptitious and sneak up on people, I think that it being known that this car is out there can serve as a deterrent [to dangerous driving],” said Trail.
In addition to traffic enforcement, Trail said that the vehicle can carry out the same tasks as any other vehicle in the fleet. He added that he also thought it would be a nice conversational piece in community outreach events, such as the Coffee with a Cop series.
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