How to spot undercover cops?

[theCryptofishist]

Shut up, Fishy. You're not helping...

[maladroit]

If you ask someone if they're a cop and they say no, then they are a cop. If they say yes, then they are not a cop and you can buy a selection of drugs from the rows of pockets on the inside of their trenchcoat.

Also, people commonly think there are about 100 police within the 50,000 people at Burning Man. This is false. There are approximately 49,900 police and 100 unsuspecting burners, half of which get arrested every year.

[Roberto Dobbisano]

[Straightveg]

[AdamOfTheRedEarth]

This year it has been announced that Pershing County will hire contract police from other jurisdictions. They can pick the best and brightest, meaning the most effective, undercovers from anywhere in the country. Likewise there is a lot of competition for positions at BM by all the other law enforcement entities. With that much competition they can select the most effective, most look the part, undercovers who have been living the life 24x7x365, etc.

These undercovers have spent years at their jobs. I highly doubt that any of the limits on their behavior you propose are true. You are not going to be able to devise a test. Everyone is telling you that.

However if I was undercover, I would pop on this board and tell you some surefire test that is simply not true. Then I would bust your butt and those of any other foolish readers on playa who believed it.

That's a good post, I hadn't really thought about it that way.

Next question, are cops allowed to have sex on the job? How about drink alcohol? If someone takes several shots of jaeger with me I'd assume they couldn't be a cop, right?

Police can do absolutely anything as long as they don't entrap you. So, yes, shots of jaeger. Probably sex (think about undercover cops in drug & biker gangs).

Lets put it this way, guy-who-is-not-getting-the-answer-he-wants, assume absolutely everyone you don't know is a cop & don't do anything stupid. It really is that simple. Because they can do what they "need" to do to stop criminal activities as long as they stay within the law, and fooling someone who asks as many questions as you is childsplay.

Oh there isn't any particular "answer that I want". Honestly, I'm just really naive about undercover cops. I grew up in small towns that most definitely did NOT have undercover cops, and now I live in a moderately sized city that probably has a couple undercovers but they focus on things like prostitution and gangs. I've been to lots of concerts, festivals, and barter fairs and never heard of or seen any undercovers. This will be the first time for me and I'm just really amused/bewildered/intrigued that they're going through all of this trouble and planning to go incognito and hope to bust someone for toking a joint or something. So mostly I'm just asking out of curiosity and naivety because I've never been at an event with known undercover cops all over the place, or ever really even thought about undercover cops (and I think about everything).

The other reason I'm asking is because one of the guys in my camp told me that he was accused of being an undercover a lot last year. He is a business owner and looks the part, nice hair and glasses and clothes, professional attitude, etc. Also, like me, he doesn't smoke pot at all, and he said he got invited into a camp and they accused him of being a cop because he wouldn't take a hit. So I guess the other reason I am asking is so that if someone accused me of being a cop I could just do something a cop couldn't do (like dance around naked or pound a beer or something) and then we'd all be best buds haha. Now I know better thanks to you wise burners that a cop can do anything really so if someone's being paranoid in my general direction there's nothing I can do to prove my innocence haha.

[Captain]

Where was the naked cop in the cowboy hat keeping his badge?

[AdamOfTheRedEarth]

Where was the naked cop in the cowboy hat keeping his badge?

Inside his hat? Or.... inside..... his......

[Marscrumbs]

Tell somebody asking for drugs that you won't do that unless they have sex with you twice to prove they are not a cop. If that line works use their handcuffs and runaway.

[BBadger]

You know the best part about undercover cops? They can just signal in other uniformed cops to perform the arrest and you'll never know who was the actual undercover cop who alerted them.

Last year my friends and I were standing around the burning remains of the Trojan horse, enjoying the heat. Later my friend notices some dumbass dude motioning to his girlfriend to do a line of coke with him. My friends mentioned "oh geez, look at that dude, how stupid can you be?" Sure enough, an undercover cop--dressed in a panda costume (it's a damn black and white!)--took notice, looked over and confirmed that the couple were doing some drugs, and did some goofy dance-and-wave to signal some other cops some 500ft or so feet away (who flashed their lights momentarily to indicate that they got the signal). Then the cops swarmed the couple and they were caught and hauled off.

[Eric]

The old chestnut used to be "the cops have been going longer than you, they have cooler costumes & better artcars", and it's the truth.

I had a friend who used to get accused of being an undercover because he wore khaki's & t-shirts, he told people if they were stupid enough to think he was one because he fit their stereotype of what one looks like that they were going to be paying the stupid tax by the end of the week. Then he'd leave.

[AntiM]

I still think the dude who was sheparding the "tripping" girl into our camp was an undercover, and she was faking being high. I very helpfully sharpied her camp address onto her arms. He kept hinting h'd give me acid, but I play oblivious very well.

[Shambala]

One of the best was when I parked my OWN artcar. People were running around warning everyone that it was undercover cops. They warned me too. "Hey, thanks man"!
This year, I have some great playa gifts in small plastic bags and wrapped in strips of toilet paper. I have a feeling I'll be talking to a lot of police this year. I'll have nothing illegal on me, so we'll just have some fun laughs with the police.

[theCryptofishist]

Do you think that Foxfur has enough time to cut a new stencil: I'm an Undercover Cop

[geospyder]

This is me from last year last year. The balls hanging from the belt loop blinked red and blue when banged together, That did freak out a few people at night.

[theCryptofishist]

Cool

[junglesmacks]

You know the best part about undercover cops? They can just signal in other uniformed cops to perform the arrest and you'll never know who was the actual undercover cop who alerted them.

Lol.. that's exactly what happened at DISTRIKT. He did a little downwards point with both hands while dancing at this dready/hippie attempting to pass out some type of fungal substances and was swarmed and quietly taken aside. It didn't hit us until we saw the same thing happen with the same motion to some people that was passing some type of tobacco/herbal cigarette around in the middle of the dance floor.

Dumbassery will win you friends.. quickly! Just.. maybe not the kind of friends you intended..

[AntiM]

Best story was the guy who sheltered up against a vehicle in a whiteout, lit up a fattie to pass the time. It was a BLM vehicle, very occupied. I bet they had to quit laughing before they got out to bust the kid.

[maladroit]

They actually busted him? Seems like a whiteout would be great for just melting away.

[uncle sticky]

That's ridiculous, everybody knows cops don't have rhythm.

Have you not listened to dubstep?

[Canoe]

The easiest way to spot them is to pull out a massive nugget and bong and light that shit up in the middle of a crowd...

Or hand a friend a piece of rare super deep black South Asian eboney wood, around 3"x1.5"x1/2", wrapped in tinfoil to protect it. He opens it, looks, picks it up to smell... drove an off-duty cop in the corner nuts (should I or shouldn't I).

[maladroit]

Almost ANY unusual set of movements looks like drug activities if that's all you're looking to find.

[gyre]

Hey, that matches my Witness Relocation Program shirts.


What you want to know is crowd surveillance techniques, and basic undercover and narcotics techniques.
There are manuals.

Knowing these things is useful because they aren't only used for drugs, but also political reasons.
We are once again where we were in the seventies with military spying on usa citizens.
(Patriot Act)

The courts allow police to lie.
They aren't required to, but most departments allow unethical behavior.
Anything else you need to know?

If you had looked at previous threads there is more detail, but the most competent undercovers won't be busting anyone, just maintaining cover.
Most people aren't good at it.
And easy to spot.
You'll see plenty of those.

Undercovers aren't allowed to have sex or commit murder, but they have.
They are allowed to use drugs, by most depts.

We have caught cops dealing drugs, guarding crackhouses in uniform and marked cars and so on.
Prison, prison, and prison.
Get enough photos and video and prison IS the coverup.

The real problem they have at burning man isn't being spotted, but just that there just isn't that much drug use out there.
That makes them too obvious.

[seantildawn]

In "the old days" the cops rolled around in SUVs with windows up and AC blasting. Now they are on foot, on ATVs, on golf carts, driving with windows down, looking with nightvision on the playa at night, and they will catch you if you are stupid.

Don't be stupid.

[Roberto Dobbisano]

if you can't beat em', join em'...

[mudpuppy000]

I don't think they can murder anyone, so that's one way to tell

[Lonesomebri]

I was once offered a hit off a joint out on the playa at night by a dude dressed in a full plains Native American outfit, complete with a flowing feather head-dress.....that's how I knew he was a rebel.....

[maladroit]

"Pssst...would you like some Mary Jane?"

"Ah yeah man sweet where is it give me some"

*pull out a pair of tiny scissors and a black shoe, cut off a little piece and give it to them*

[AntiM]

They actually busted him? Seems like a whiteout would be great for just melting away.

He was LEANING UP AGAINST THEIR VEHICLE! All they had to do was open the damn door. He was literally within the reach of the long arm of the law.

[skippy3k]

I picked the wrong job. All of these undercover cop stories sound like a lot of fun. Dress up in a panda suit, dance, watch a transaction go down, change my dance to signal a take down, then move on to next dubstep camp.

I can only imagine when they go home the next morning to the family.

"Hi Honey, how was your night"?
"Ummmm......don't ask."

[MacGlenver]

I picked the wrong job. All of these undercover cop stories sound like a lot of fun. Dress up in a panda suit, dance, watch a transaction go down, change my dance to signal a take down, then move on to next dubstep camp.

I can only imagine when they go home the next morning to the family.

"Hi Honey, how was your night"?
"Ummmm......don't ask."

Agree.