We happen to know a thing or two about impersonating an officer, having reviewed a 2008 Dodge Charger Cop Car and been detained by Dearborn police for our troubles. Our tester looked a bit too much the like the real deal, with a white-on-black paint job, working light bar and even a set of bumper bars. Thus, we can sympathize with Jessie Vigil, a Las Vegas resident and disabled Iraq war veteran who transformed his 2007 Mustang into Barricade, the evil Decepticon from the Transformers movie. What would possess a man to turn his Mustang into a movie prop? Well, his 7-year-old son really liked the movie, so now he's got a full-scale Transformers toy.
Vigil created his cop car the right way by first contacting the local authorities and asking if his project were legal. While the Chief Deputy District Attorney discouraged him from doing it, there was nothing on the books that expressly forbade it. The only thing the law prohibits is impersonating an officer, and it was decided Vigil didn't fit that description for two reasons. One, the car is a Mustang and apparently Las Vegas police have no Mustangs in their fleet. Two, the police themselves sell their old cruisers without repainting them, so there's already lots of vehicles running around with white-on-black paint jobs. There are other signs this Decepticon is a dud as well, like the many movie-related vinyl graphics and the totally fake light bar.
While most locals know the car by now, authorities are still concerned that drivers on the interstate might get confused and ask Vigil for help. If we learned anything from Michael Bay's opus last summer, it's don't ask a Mustang cop car for help. They're the evil ones. Thanks for the tip, SwissFreek!
[Source: Fox News, Photo: AP/Las Vegas Optic]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
zoe @ Mar 13th 2008 10:48AM
You write, "What would possess a man to turn his Mustang into a movie prop?"
I don't think it was just b/c of his kid. Any person who grew up with Transformers his age would love to have a car that looks like one. I know I would!
z
geo.stewart @ Mar 13th 2008 11:08AM
nice.
needs the bump bar, but my guess is that all the add-ons are vinyl including the door skin so its easily 'transformable' into a stock V6 Coupe.
Mr. Oak @ Mar 13th 2008 11:11AM
Nicely done. I know his kid loves it.
SPG @ Mar 13th 2008 11:11AM
Pretty cool, but hate that fake light bar.
L.Wood @ Mar 13th 2008 11:19AM
There is a guy in town that has an old police cruiser that includes the light bar. As long as the lights are not in the light bar it is legal. He feels like Moses as traffic parts before him as he drives down the road................
LoneWolf @ Mar 13th 2008 11:19AM
The best thing on "Barricade" was the line "..to punish and enslave" ]:D
Kowell @ Mar 13th 2008 11:28AM
My old 1989 Lincoln Continental (worst car I ever had) was white with a roof rack. At night, it looked just like a cop car at first glance. It was great! people were always moving to the right and slowing down on the highway to let me overpass them :)
KT @ Mar 13th 2008 11:39AM
Judging by the bars on the windows of the house there may be another reason he wanted a "cop" car sitting out front.
It's a bonus the kid get's a kick out of it too!
paul34 @ Mar 13th 2008 11:58AM
It's not illegal; why would it be?
Impersonating a LEO is illegal; having something like this isn't illegal (per se).
For example, there are plenty of people who (unwisely IMO) go around with red and blue strobes and LED lights under their grills and such. They can light up and look like an unmarked police car.
But it isn't illegal so long as they do NOT use it on public streets. They could sit in a private car show and light up if they wanted to - no one could do anything about it.
LoneWolf @ Mar 13th 2008 12:12PM
Here in Germany it is afaik illegal to write "Polizei" on you car - you have to choose a different word, "Pozilei" or something like that.
Randy @ Mar 13th 2008 3:57PM
Funny! This is so cool! We all got touched by it being for the man's kid! We all wish someone had the balls to do that for us! Touching!
Now.... Can you imagine how this man would have been ripped apart if the words "kid" didn't appear in this story? Pheeeeew! ;)
AlphaTeam @ Mar 13th 2008 7:24PM
It's looks very nice.
McHoffa @ Mar 14th 2008 11:33AM
"If we learned anything from Michael Bay's opus last summer, it's don't ask a Mustang cop car for help. They're the evil ones."
Except it wasn't a Mustang?
raddimus @ Mar 14th 2008 10:31PM
Hi all I'm new I did a search on my friend jess here and found you guys. He is greatful for all the support and publicity he has recieved.If anyone wants to actually talk to him hollar and I'll see if it's okay to give you his link...He has many pictures of the veichle he does have the punish and to enslave as well as the symbols light bars and I believe he just got his saleen front end and the police bumper is on the way.As for transformers fans Go to ww/shootfortheedit.com
this is the official micheal bay forums.Bay ocassional chimes in and if you got a good questionHe might even answer,but he is a busy man considering the transformer clock is ticking forward.