Manitoba RCMP intercept police look-alike vehicle near Minnedosa, charge driver
Posted May 18, 2022 1:38 pm.
A 23-year-old man was charged with driving a car that looked like a police vehicle, Manitoba RCMP said.
RCMP say the man’s vehicle – a black Ford Crown Victoria – had police-style equipment: a push-bar, spot light and roof-mounted antenna.
Officers with the RCMP Westman traffic services say they spotted the vehicle on the evening of May 7 in the RM of Minto-Odanah – on a service road off Highway 10.
The RM of Minto-Odanah surrounds the town of Minnedosa.
“The vehicle looked exactly like an unmarked police vehicle,” said Sgt. Mark Hume, the unit commander of Westman traffic services, in a release. “The only thing that gave it away is that police no longer use Crown Victoria cars, but the general public may not realize this,”
The driver and owner of the vehicle was charged under Section 216 of the Highway Traffic Act, police say.
The man is required to remove the push-bar, spot light and roof-mounted antenna by a certain deadline. Failing to meet the deadline will result in his insurance and registration being suspended, according to RCMP.
“It is important for the public to know that it is illegal for civilian vehicles to have any equipment that could cause someone to mistake it for a police vehicle,” said Hume. “The RCMP takes these issues very seriously.”
