With a quick internet search and a credit card, anyone can purchase blue, flashing lights for their car — just like the ones used by police officers. But if you’re not a member of law enforcement, it’s illegal in Georgia to put blue lights on your car.
“People can get the blue lights,” Lt. John Hutcheson with Georgia Public Safety Training Center said. “But they’re supposed to be governed by the Department of Public Safety.”
Georgia’s DPS requires a permit for emergency red or blue flashing or revolving lights unless it’s a government-owned vehicle or a volunteer fire vehicle. Those vehicles, along with ambulances, don’t need a permit for emergency lights because they’re exempt, according to the the DPS.
But in two recent metro Atlanta cases involving a phony officer initiating traffic stops, the suspect would have needed a permit to lawfully have the blue lights on top of his sedan, according to law enforcement leaders.
The suspect used the lights, along with a star-shaped badge, to pull over a female motorist in Fulton County and another female driver in Cobb County and sexually assault each one, according to police.
On Wednesday, the investigation continued, with both Atlanta and Cobb police attempting to identify the man responsible.
The victims in both cases gave investigators nearly identical descriptions of the man involved in the Friday morning assaults. And both women met with a GBI sketch artist, who created two images — one of each woman’s attacker.
Though the sketches don’t appear to be the same person, that could mean the two women remember different features about their attacker, said Sgt. Wayne Delk of the Cobb County Police Department.
“We tend to notice different things when it comes to facial recognition of people,” Delk told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Late Friday, Atlanta and Cobb police said the sketches had generated numerous tips, but no suspects had been identified.
“The sketch has generated a large number of tips,” Delk said. “The case remains active as the tips are being investigated.”
The suspect is believed to be about 30 years old, stands 6 feet tall and weighs between 180 to 190 pounds, according to police. Both victims described him as a white man with brown hair and scruffy facial hair who wore dark clothing.
“But we won’t know that it’s the same person absent some sort of physical evidence that indicates that, or if we get a suspect in custody and we’re able to determine for sure that that’s the case,” Atlanta police Maj. Michael O’Connor said.
Both women, whose names were not released, said the strip of blue lights on top of the car trailing them appeared to be those of a real officer. Hutcheson, who previously was a Georgia state trooper, said drivers should look not only at the blue lights, but also markings on the vehicle attempting to pull them over.
“Here in Georgia, we have a law that traffic police should have markings that are visible by 500 feet,” he said. “If they encounter a vehicle that has no markings, that may be a tell-tale sign.”
But when it’s dark, trying to read the side of a vehicle with blue flashing lights may not be possible. In those instances, it’s best for drivers to slow down, but get to a safer area before stopping.
“If you’re getting pulled over, make sure you’re in a well-lit area. If you don’t have a well-lit area, put your hazard lights on,” Hutcheson said. “You just want people around if you’re not sure about your surroundings.”
Police also suggest calling 911 if drivers are unsure whether a legitimate officer is pulling them over. O’Connor said dispatchers can determine whether an officer is attempting a traffic stop in the location.
Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to contact Atlanta or Cobb County police.
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