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2d ago

CHP Deploys Stealth Patrol SUVs to Target Reckless Driving

The first 25 of 100 specially marked Dodge Durangos are now on California roads, aiming to reduce speed-related crashes and dangerous driving behaviors.

CHP officers already patrol Bay Area highways in unmarked cars, but the new Dodge Durangos are designed to be an intermediate step between undercover car and obvious highway patrol vehicle.
Red and blue lights tucked into the Durango’s front windshield and grille indicate that its driver is a CHP officer.
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Overview

  • The California Highway Patrol has introduced 25 of 100 low-profile Dodge Durangos designed to blend into traffic, with the full fleet expected by June.
  • These vehicles are modified with smaller lights, subdued logos, and diverse colors to allow officers to covertly monitor and stop reckless drivers.
  • The initiative targets dangerous behaviors such as excessive speeding, lane weaving, and road rage, which CHP calls 'video game-styled' driving.
  • CHP data shows speed contributes to 30% of crashes statewide, with nearly 18,000 citations issued last year for speeds exceeding 100 mph.
  • Critics, including the Anti Police-Terror Project, warn the new vehicles may exacerbate racial profiling, citing historical disparities in traffic stops.