Interesting article.
Here's something else to consider. The "red light rapists" as they are sometimes known, most often use dash mounted emergency lights or the small magnetic mount lights that can be quickly dismounted from the roof. They seldom have roof-racks full of lights or loud sirens.
Having had the experience of an unusually marked vehicle try to pull me over, here's a simple criteria you can use;
1. Roof-mounted lighting -- lack of it is clue #1
2. Slow down and maybe signal but don't stop until you hear a loud siren. Most fakes can't afford the expense of a real siren unit and don't want to use it to attract attention. A weak or odd-sounding siren is suspect. Lack of a siren is clue #2 (and probably the best one).
3. Make a turn in a well lighted area at night and watch your mirrors. Can you see any obvious markings on the unit? Most traffic units are clearly marked with the agency logo on the door and/or contrasting colors.
4. Wait for back-up. If you don't stop and drive slowly, he'll radio it in. Chances are that after a few minutes another unit will arrive. If you know the area reasonably well, go around the same block repeatedly until a second unit arrives.
If the unit behind you fails #1 and #2, use a cell phone to dial 911 and get help. Expect real cops to approach you with great caution, keep your hands visible and at your first opportunity let them know why you were apprehensive. If you can articulate why, they will understand. If they add some kind of infraction to the ticket, you can usually get a judge to dismiss it if you can show logical arguments for the actions (i.e. no siren).
As to the vehicles police use, the article included;
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- Ford Crown Victoria sedan
- Chevy Impala sedan (some departments also use the smaller Malibu and the Lumina sedans as well, though the majority in service today are Impalas)
- Chevy Tahoe SUV
- Dodge Charger
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California Highway Patrol (CHP) uses all-white Camaro Z-28's with low-profile, clear-lens L.E.D. lightbars for some traffic enforcement. These are clearly marked on the doors as CHP units however. They also use Dodge Ram pickup trucks for commercial truck enforcement but these units can and do stop passenger cars at times.
One California city experimented with Volvo police vehicles for a time. They had too many issues with the vehicles, plus more than a few people not stopping because they didn't think it was a real PD vehicle.
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All he is going to do is call a creep friend of his also dressed as a policeman to come convince you.
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Red-light rapists usually work alone. If they team up, it would be very unusual for them to have identical vehicles and equipment on them. It's more likely two of them would team up in identical uniforms in the same vehicle.