Is There Really a Cell Phone App to Mimic Cop Car Lights?
- Posted on March 16, 2011 at 2:19am by
Meredith Jessup
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Alexander Welch (Image: KTVB)
BOISE, Idaho (AP/The Blaze) — Authorities say a smart phone and a dumb idea have landed a 21-year-old Idaho man in trouble with the law.
Boise police say Alexander A. Welch is charged with unlawful exercise of the function of police after officers say he used a cell phone app that flashes blue and red to try to pull over another car Saturday night.
A motorist called police to report that someone who didn’t appear to be an officer tried to pull the driver over with a flashing blue and red light. That driver told police a driver behind them flashed a blue and red light and when they pulled over, the car with the flashing blue and red lights pulled in behind them and then drove away. That raised the suspicion of the driver, who then followed the other car and called police to report what happened.
Welch will make his initial court appearance later Monday. The felony crime of impersonating a police officer is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Welch’s cell phone app may have looked something like this:
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dontbotherme
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 8:49pmThis is kind of scary. It can be used to commit a crime. Why would he want to “pull” someone over. Can you say psycho?
Report Post »MikeinIdaho
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 10:35amWhat exactly, is the real purpose given for this App? I fail to see any legal need for this.
Report Post »jedi.kep
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 9:30amCool App! I want it!
Report Post »Thighmaster
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 8:44amIn light of this new app I think it’s time to ban cell phones in schools and to make it a zero tolerance offense to hold the thumb to the ear while simultaneously holding the little finger to the corner of the mouth signaling that the undocumented criminal is aware of this app.
Report Post »Republic
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 8:27amMy kid has a hand held video game that sounds like a siren. I hate it when I am driving and he is playing it in the back seat. Get’s me looking in the mirror when the siren noise is going.
Report Post »RugDog
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 7:44amFlashlight app. Yep. No biggie.
Report Post »aLinedog
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 7:55am“Move along. Move along.”
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 7:38amIf the motorist, was a woman, this guy is a rapist, watch him closely Idaho.
Report Post »markgl
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 6:26amYes. I have it on my phone. It even has a siren sound to it too, but that is just one part of the app. It’s a app to use your phone as a flashlight but has other effects on it too.
Report Post »N37BU6
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 6:22amMy GF got pulled over for having a “blue” light around her license plate. I argued that it was purple, not blue. The cop kept insisting it was blue. So I walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk, and showed him the part number and color code on the plug.
Purple.
Report Post »aLinedog
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 7:54amBrilliant!
Report Post »OUTRIDER WRITER
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 8:07amBut, you can surely see that if you were to be driving in reverse, how another driver could be confused and think you were trying to pull them over. Right? LOL
On the serious side, if your “purple/bluish” lights are bright, and you were parked on the side of a highway, the immediate discernment of a car coming toward you some distance away could easily mistake the light as being that of a patrol car…. until they got close enough to realize you had a silly, “aren’t I cute” light string around your car’s license plate.
Report Post »leakimo
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 4:35amExactly why I don’t pull over unless I am in a public place.
Report Post »OUTRIDER WRITER
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 8:01amDITTO !!!! Would rather be fined for not pulling over until I was in a safe place than to be car hijacked or kidnapped.
Report Post »geversole1036
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 4:25amI’ll just stick with ”Angry Birds”.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 2:44amWHY would anyone want to spend money on something like THAT?
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 2:43amIt‘s illegal to have any blue light on a vehicle unless it’s a police unit. You won’t catch me flashing a blue light, that’s for sure.
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 3:09amGlad the guy got caught – that can be a dangerous app. http://wp.me/pYLB7-KF
Report Post »sissykatz
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 3:49amShouldn’t this be illegal? I am pretty sure it is. /Crazy.
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 4:02am100 % illegal .
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 4:03amactually, the blue light isnt the one that will get you busted……..its the red light that will land you in the pokey
volunteer firefighters use the blue light, ambulances use red and strobe, police use red strobe and blue
but as a side note, if your not a firefighter responding to a call, i would not suggest you use it, as that is using an emergency light unlawfully and will result in a ticket and confiscation of light, and expulsion normally from the volunteer firefighter house…………..they dont play
RugDog
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 7:43amNot around here in PA. Our firefighters are volunteer, you see blue lights on pickups, mini vans, crummy rusty cavilers etc. And they are glued to their radios, so if there’s a fender bender across town, they swarm to the scene with there flashing blue lights to direct traffic, close roads, stand around….. It’s really kinda silly. But sometimes, they do actual fire fighting!
ShiningRadiance
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 2:31am“May have”. Okay, then. *Ahem*
That’s just… dumb.
Report Post »avenger
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 6:32amhow about another app that simulates gunshots….
Report Post »starboard
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 6:55amI wish my horn sounded like gun shots sometimes…….
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 8:34amThis story makes it a great time to remind people if you do not believe a person is the police when they are trying to pull you over, do not pull over until you are in a very visible public place. This does not mean you speed up or anything, continue to drive legally until you reach a safe place. While driving it wouldn’t hurt to use your cell phone and call the police to tell them what is taking place. There are a lot of SICK people out there that try these tricks and most of them are sexual predators. .
Report Post »GODSAMERICA
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 10:05amMaybe he needs to get an app that simulates intelligence, that way he might be able to fool some of the people into thinking that he has half a brain.
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