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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 25, 2005 OSP ‘stealth’ catches drivers Unmarked patrols nab those seen speeding or following too closely By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Patrolling Southern Oregon highways in an unmarked car during the past year has allowed Oregon State Police trooper Bill Matson to see a few things he’s never before encountered on the roads. There was the time he was stopped alongside a highway and watched a man open his car door and set a large cup on the road’s center-dividing line. Matson got the man’s attention and motioned for him to pick up the cup, but the driver, not realizing he was dealing with an OSP trooper, instead cursed at Matson and made an obscene gesture before speeding away. "I won’t tell you the exact expletive he used," Matson said. In no time, Matson flipped on his unmarked vehicle’s flashing lights and pulled the driver over. Matson said the man was apologetic, but that didn’t stop the trooper from issuing him a ticket. Litterbugs aren’t usually what Matson looks for while on patrol in the unmarked car — part of OSP’s aggressive-driving enforcement program (ADEP) . Advertisement Since July 2004, Matson and another trooper from the Central Point OSP office who occasionally drives the "stealth" vehicle, have written motorists more than 220 tickets for endangering others while speeding or committing multiple dangerous violations, including making unsafe lane changes and following too closely. When OSP launched the ADEP program a year ago, Matson was given the keys to an unmarked 2005 Chevrolet Impala. He recently traded in that car for a dark blue Camaro that also appears to be just another vehicle — until Matson activates its blue-and-red lights and makes it clear he’s in a police cruiser. "There should be no doubt at all that this is a police vehicle when its emergency lights are activated," OSP Capt. Gerry Gregg said in a prepared statement. State police officials developed the ADEP program in response to a rising number of reports about aggressive driving, Gregg said. The number of complaints jumped from 22,731 in 2000 to 38,738 in 2003. During the program’s first year, troopers in Central Point, Bend, Springfield, Salem and Tualatin stopped more than 1,000 vehicles and issued 1,582 citations for offenses relating to aggressive driving, according to statistics provided by OSP. A total of 223 of those tickets were written by troopers stationed in Central Point. Matson said 123 tickets went to drivers in Southern Oregon who were caught speeding, including a pair of motorcyclists clocked at 110 and 140 mph. Sixty-six drivers were issued citations for following too close, while 20 motorists received citations for making unsignaled, unsafe lane changes. "The program has been met with real good success down here," Matson said. OSP officials say that although the ADEP program has worked to slow down dangerous drivers, unmarked cars are no replacement for the agency’s regular patrol vehicles. "What we want people to understand is that this is a valuable program, but the value of it does not reduce the need for uniformed troopers and marked vehicles," Gregg said. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers dvd-r helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Computer Security Home Equity Loans Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Canadian Pharmacy Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Online Casino News Air Purifiers Advertisement s