SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Earlier this month, we learned that Sioux Falls police will have an increased presence downtown during the upcoming summer months.
That expanded law enforcement footprint will include patrols by a special type of vehicle that’s been in the department’s fleet for nearly a decade… but you might not have even noticed them.
Jon Gannon was a longtime school resource officer with the Sioux Falls Police Department when he decided it was to time for a change.
“I did that for 14 years and I wanted to try something different within the department,” Gannon said.
Since January, Gannon has been working in the department’s traffic division.
“There’s a lot more to it than people think. It’s not just making traffic stops. There’s escorts that we have to do for funerals, or working events such as parades,” Gannon said.
Gannon carries out his duties driving a ghost vehicle.
“I have a lot of fun with this vehicle,” Gannon said.
These so-called ghost vehicles have special wrapping that makes the signage hard to see during the daytime. But the graphics reflect headlights so they’re easy to see at night.
“If you pull up next to somebody, you sometimes get the stare of the vehicle,” Gannon said.
We first showed you these ghost vehicles more than eight years ago, when they were brand-new to the police department. Their ability to blend in with the traffic caught drivers by surprise.
“Did you see this car sitting there back there was I was sitting at Oak?”
“No.”
Through the years, the police department’s fleet of ghost vehicles has grown to ten. And that means every traffic officer per shift can now drive one.
“And they can make more traffic stops just based upon their ability to blend into the general public,” Sgt. Joel Dalton with the Sioux Falls Police Department said.
Drivers have become familiar with sharing the road with these ghost vehicles through the years. Yet the vehicles still haven’t lost their ability to catch traffic violators off-guard.
“I would say the general public has seen them enough now over the last several years that they’re very used to it, as well. They’re commonplace. At the same time, they do surprise people still, when they’re behind them and they don’t realize it,” Dalton said.
And some drivers still think police are getting too sneaky with their ghost vehicles.
“Sometimes people will say, they claim it’s entrapment. But I don’t think they understand what entrapment means,” Gannon said.
Since ghost vehicles can hide in plain sight…
“So there’s somebody in there doing 37, 36 in that group of cars,” Gannon said.
Officers have an easier time catching speeders in the act.
“So pretty much every one of these cars has been going over the speed limit,” Gannon said.
But even with their stealthy ability to go unnoticed, ghost vehicles will never completely replace the traditional black and white police units.
“It’s a standard law enforcement vehicle. It’s easily recognizable. If somebody sees us, they can flag us down and that’s why we’re out in the community,” Dalton said.
Police say these ghost vehicles have a proven track record of traffic enforcement in their familiar haunts on city streets.
“I get a lot of wow! That’s a really cool car. Or, I didn’t even see you,” Gannon said.
Some of the police department’s ghost vehicles are even harder to recognize because their emergency light bars are attached to the front grille instead of the roof. Police call those vehicles, “slick-tops.”
