Tulsa police testing booty-shaking Rumbler sirens
In a move sure to please more than a few motorists, police in Tulsa, OK are testing new sirens on their patrol cars with a tone low enough to send vibrations through targeted vehicles and their occupants. It sounds strange, but as cars become more isolated from the outside world, it has become increasingly difficult for cops to grab the attention of wayward motorists. Locked in our motorized cocoons, a wailing siren just can't be heard over the din of cell phones, Sponge Bob and iPods.
This new and innovative (and non-sadistic) approach called the Rumbler is designed to blast a deep tone up to 70 yards away to alert drivers through vibrations in their backsides. The Tulsa police have three units in use, with three more expected within the next ten days. Law enforcement officials in Washington DC, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida are also trying the technology. Talk from the officers and the public indicates this apparently harmless approach works pretty well. If put into widespread use, it seems to us that the booty-shaking siren just could become the best part of being pulled over.
Follow the jump for video of the Rumbler in action and hear what the new sound of police sirens may soon be in your city. Thanks for the tip, Screwtape!
[Source: KTUL - Tulsa Channel 8 News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Brian 1:26PM (2/22/2008)
I wonder how many car alarms it will set off just going by
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LoneWolf 1:30PM (2/22/2008)
Haha, the Sirens became HALF-LIFE²
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SPG 1:31PM (2/22/2008)
This makes a lot of sense actually.
And as a bonus, it's really funny.
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Xcountryflyer 1:37PM (2/22/2008)
I hear sirens, but I'm sure a lot of people are not paying attention in their isolation cocoons.
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ronnie schreiber 1:37PM (2/22/2008)
I'd love to sell these on the aftermarket as an audio system accessory. All the homeboys with the bass cranked up enough to shake body panels would love it.
Why should the cops get all the fun toys?
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Aron Trimble 1:42PM (2/22/2008)
Who's leg do I need to hump to get this added to my home theater?
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Nick the Hammer 1:43PM (2/22/2008)
Great, as if the sirens alone don't make you crap your pants....
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AK 2:23PM (2/22/2008)
Yes, I wonder if you have diarrhea, if the police department will pay for cleaning your car.
MachinaDC5 2:32PM (2/22/2008)
Ha ha, their new siren creates the brown note. That'd be great.
Rick 4:55PM (2/22/2008)
I would just assume an Escalade with 2 12"s has pulled up behind me. If I can hear/feel it over my own stero system.
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Bart 2:37PM (2/22/2008)
And my next excuse shall be.. I had the seat massager on. "No officer, it's an S-class you see, it comes with these seat massagers, why dont you have a go." Officer takes a seat and completely stress-relieved lets me off with a warning....
...we'll have to come up with better excuses.
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Playdrv4me 2:45PM (2/22/2008)
Oklahoma... While other states focus on ways to keep real criminals off the street, we can always count on OK to be on the cutting edge of traffic stop technology.
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CMDR 3:37PM (2/22/2008)
I'm from Tulsa and I'll have a hell of a time getting pulled over whilst your time will be ordinary. Tulsa is working on pulling people over in other dimensions too, take that "playdrv4me" :)
Oh, and have fun queening around in your Range Rover.
brn 6:18PM (2/22/2008)
Playdrv4me,
This isn't necessarily about pulling people over. I've logged countless hours riding in a squad car. Getting traffic out of your way can be surprisingly difficult. If you feel the rumble, they're probably not after you. They probably are trying to reach those real crimes you speak of.
Gardiner Westbound 2:51PM (2/22/2008)
Had this happen a while back. Never heard one of these before, didn't have a clue what it was, thought the wheels coming off my car, so I stopped suddenly. The surprised police officer person, apparently on an emergency run with lunch, stood on her brakes. There were fries everywhere!
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RP 3:18PM (2/22/2008)
Is this more effective than a fire truck's air horn? Those things are pretty hard to ignore!
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brn 6:21PM (2/22/2008)
RP,
Where I live, the squads to have fog horns. They help a little, because they create a different sound, but they don't seem to solve the problem. The biggest problem is at speed. At 60mph (or more) by the time you hear the siren, the squad is riding up your bumper.
Rocketboy 3:20PM (2/22/2008)
Hell, you don't even have to have the radio cranked to not hear a siren sometimes. I went through a green light just as an emergency vehicle was about to go through. All I was doing was accelerating with the heat on full blast. That was more than enough not to be able to hear it.
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Derek 8:21PM (2/22/2008)
What police departments use their sirens anymore? I can hear ambulance/fire truck engines just fine, but in three states I haven't had the police use their sirens once. My g/f actually got a ticket for "failure to yield" because a cop followed her for five miles with lights, but no sirens on.
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Fuzzmanmatt 10:56PM (2/22/2008)
Five miles without checking her rearview mirror? Wow. What a woman!