What IF........

As i watched the news and saw how some men were being kidnapped over in Iraq, if i heard correctly that terorrits faked check points in order to stop vehicles and than took them hostage. Well the other day i got o thinking, WHAT IF a terrorist group painted a normal white car like a cop car put up a road block and started taking US Citizens right out of their cars in their own country. How would law enforcemnt be able to stop them and how would you have known it wasnt a real cop? I have wondered this for awhile and it drives me INSANE.... Please someone let me kno what they think?

From what I've read and heard, the US(as well as several country's in Europe) has rather heavy and good restrictions and regulations in place for the sale of police materials. Going from uniforms to the lights on the cars. Also are not all police cars alike for every city and region. Neither are the paintjobs or logoing of the cars.

Your talking about a white car btw, I don't even think white is the standard color of a police car in the US anymore, more something like shades of blue.

It would propably set of less alarms to just steal a police car, then to build one.

Also, the attraction points for terrorist strikes are big city's and heavely populated area's. In there police coverage is pritty good and officers within a presinct know eachother pritty well.

So if someone that isn't part of their presinct, is setting up road blocks in populated area's, my guess would be their cover is blown rather quickly.

The thing in iraq is that the roadblocks by the terrorists are setup in nearly unpopulated area's, on traffic routes.

For a strike in the US, doing this would have no value for the terrorists, since on US soil, they would want to have a high deathtoll, big coverage and clear message.
In Iraq they just want to single out 1 or 2 foreign national to be held hostage.

This has happened already and they call them 'blue-light bandits'. (not terrorists though)

Usually purse snatchers or someone looking for a 'date'.

The official response is to drive and park in a well lit area, and verify the officers identity via his uniform and badge before getting out of your vehicle. I suspect the terrorists though would have much difficulty in emulating an officer of the law.



(wondering what will happen next time the blue lights go on behind me, and I drive 5 or so miles for a well lit area,... ...being male, I suspect it will be another OJ chase or something.)

[edit on 31-7-2004 by smirkley]

Well it all depends on where you live, wher ei live the standard color of a "county" patrol is white. Most state police ar elike you said blue. However, it wouldnt be that hard to put light on a car. You can buy a strobe light and put it inside of your car, You wouldnt need the "official" decals to pull it off. I do belive that terrorists on top of attacking at large costs could gain samll victories doing little things such as kidnapping. Look at the serial sniper he killed 11 or so people not a totally high number but enough to get national attention. Thank YOu for your repy.