Spotting undercovers pt. 1: is it an undercover cop or just an explorer driving like an asshole?
•All new explorers come standard with roof racks and a single antenna sitting near the back. Police interceptors lack a roof rack and usually have multiple antennas
•civilian owned explorers usually have either silver rims or aftermarket rims. Interceptors typically have black rims, sometimes with a silver center, and usually have thicker tires and rims
•most civillian owned explorers have a small step below the doors, or a silver design, cop cars usually do not have either.
•cops are prohibited from having anything dangle from the rearview mirror; check for air fresheners or other decor
•police interceptors CAN have stickers you might not expect, similar to those little stick figure families, but will almost always be exclusively on the back windshield, not on the body of the car
•cops can have darker window tint than what is legal for civillian cars. Police interceptors are almost always tinted
•if it has any dents, scratches, scuffed rims, or a headlight out, it's not a cop
•if it's dirty, it's probably not a cop
•interceptors typically have aftermarket headlights, but within a small range. Brighter than regular headlights, but not as bright as that jackass in the lifted truck blinding you straight through your skull. Sometimes LED headlights have a blueish tint to them, interceptors will not have this tint to them. They may be smoked out, though.
•backseat gate, self explanatory
All visual indicators depend on the level of cover. Traffic cops are the easiest to spot, surveillance cops are the most difficult to spot. Federal surveillance cops may be lacking almost all of these features, except the dark window tint, but are unlikely to act and are only used to collect information.
License plates on undercovers range based on the level of undercover they are assigned. License plate specifications vary heavily from state to state. It's worthwhile to take note of license plates and get familiar with what is typical in your state. Look for unusual or missing tags and shorter strings of letters/numbers. Usually, they will not have any license plate cover or license plate lighting. In my state, they often start AND end with a C. This is slightly confusing because other license plates also do this, but usually only on pickup trucks, not SUVs. If it is a city cop, you may be able to spot it starting or ending with MU or M.
While cops love to speed and tailgate, they don't usually cut people off or run red lights/stop signs (unless actively in pursuit). Traffic cops try their best to remain hidden but without much care of looking suspicious. Surveillance cops try to walk a thin line between being out of sight without looking suspicious; parked just slightly behind a tree or sign, somewhere a normal person may park, but somewhat out of sight. They also will only park in positions where they can quickly exit. They are not usually parked between other cars, and prefer to have a straight shot to an exit.
