
NYPD has at least five undercover ‘Cop Cabs’ - morisy
https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2016/mar/28/nypd-taxicabs/
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jeffmould
I live in a small resort town where the population in the off season is less
than 1000 and during the peak season on major holiday weekends can swell close
in the hundreds of thousands. A few years ago the local police department did
this. They didn't use it for enforcing traffic laws or surveillance. Instead
they operated as a normal cab, picking up fares, and would eavesdrop on
people's conversations in the cab and use the intel they gathered to make
arrests. In terms of arrests it did lead to some major drug arrests, but I
think the entire program was marred in controversy that they stopped.

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morisy
Mind sharing what town that is?

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jeffmould
Ocean City, Maryland

Here is one of the stories about the program:
[http://oceancitymd.gov/oc/ocean-city-police-undercover-
offic...](http://oceancitymd.gov/oc/ocean-city-police-undercover-officer-
poses-as-cab-driver-nearly-two-year-investigation-leads-to-34-indictments/)

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p4wnc6
I desperately want someone to parody the montage sequence from _The Departed_
showing Matt Damon double-agenting his way through police academy and Leonardo
DiCaprio double-agenting his way through mafia initiation, except this time
showing a cop double-agenting as a cab driver ... talking about stuff
passengers don't want to hear, receiving calls constantly on a hands-free
device, intentionally taking the long way if the customer looks like a
tourist... with some sick Dropkick Murphys in the background.

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metalheadsunite
I saw one in NYC back in 2011 get a guy for what I think ended up being a
stolen car. The cab started to go, then suddenly reversed and went around a
median, coming head to head with a car. They then put guns to the driver and
ordered him out. Only pic I could find of it:
[http://imgur.com/ObrYLBv](http://imgur.com/ObrYLBv)

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metalheadsunite
and in this case there were 2 plainclothes officers in the cab and the light
wasn't on so I don't think they take fares.

FWIW Law and Order also had a scene with an undercover cab back in the Orbach
days, so previous to 2005. This has been around for a while.

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feralmoan
They definitely exist, I've seen two. Once buzzing someone to pull over, and
another at a stoplight, they have visible grille lights.

