http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337297,00.html

Cops Let Man Get Away With Painting Car Like Police Cruiser

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

AP/Las Vegas Optic

Jessie Vigil's vehicle, painted to resemble a police cruiser, at his home in Las Vegas, N.M.

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Jessie Vigil's black-and-white car sports a red-and-blue emergency bar across the top and the word "police" painted on the doors.
Vigil, however, isn't a cop.
Law enforcement agencies say what he's done with his car isn't illegal as long as he doesn't act like a police officer.
He started decorating his 2007 Ford Mustang last summer to look like the police cruiser in the "Transformers" movie because his 7-year-old son, Thomas, was fond of the film.
"My intent was to re-create the movie car," said Vigil, a 35-year-old disabled veteran from the war in Iraq. "When I came back from Iraq, I tried to spoil him. I wasn't the best dad before."
He said he called the district attorney's office beforehand and spoke to Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Ulibarri, who tried to discourage his decorating scheme but couldn't find anything in the law that would stop Vigil as long as he didn't impersonate an officer.
Ulibarri said a state law prevents people from mimicking state police cars, which are painted black and white. But he also said the state police sell their old cars to private citizens without changing the colors.
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"Are we violating our own law by not repainting them?" he asked.
He called the state law vague, and noted that normal state police cars aren't Mustangs.
"I don't think this guy has any intent to mimic a state police officer," Ulibarri said. "I'm not hearing that he is causing a problem and arresting people."
A close look shows Vigil's car isn't a police cruiser. Instead of the familiar slogan "To protect and serve," it carries a motto: "To punish and enslave" on the side. Instead of telling people to dial 911 for emergencies, the Mustang advises them to "dial 411 for theater information."
He originally marked his car, "Transformers police" but later changed it to just "police." He also added what appears to be a bar of emergency lights, but said they're not actual lights.
Vigil acknowledged people have mixed feelings about his car.
State police Capt. Craig Martin said the agency is "concerned for the safety of people who think he is an officer and think they may get help from him.
"People around town know who he is, but not those people on the interstate."
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sweet!

 

so you can get a ticket for blue/red lights on the ext. of your car, yet you can drive around like this? lame

 

I would so burn that car down in a heartbeat because I would slow down to the speed limit every time I see that thing h:

 

werd

 

that'd be funny if you didn't know about tf, and that car cruised by you on the highway and you read the slogan, "to punish and enslave." :eek3:

 

:rofl:

 

Nice... maybe i'll paint my hatch like that.

 

that's pretty lame....

 

that wouldn't help h: