It appears that I'm going to be in California in a week or two on business (L.A.), so it looks like I get to refresh my memory of Chips

If you haven't driven in California for a while, then there's something you should know: CHP is adding more unmarked cars to its lineup lately.

I have seen some pretty stealthy ones recently. The most frightening one was when I saw a late-model gray Dodge Intrepid blow by me in the left lane and nail someone right in front of me. I thought it was just another passenger car. I'd never seen Intrepids as unmarked cars before, and this one didn't have any external indications that it was a CHP. For instance, instead of an array of lights on the parcel shelf, it simply had its tail light, turn signals, and marker lights blinking in an alternating pattern. The "pull over" light was mounted on the back side of the rearview mirror. It wasn't bristling with the obvious collection of radio antennas.

Once upon a time, you could spot the unmarked units by seeing the circled "E" (for Exempt) on the license plate. Now they don't even do that. The only way to tell if it's a government car is to see if the plate has its year and month tags on it (exempt cars don't have tags). I check for this constantly now whenever I approach a suspicious vehicle from behind.

I long for the old days when you could spot a CHP from two miles away...

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Tony Fabris