Funeral Escort Whackers, Looking Like Police to Escort the Deceased

Funeral escorts, some of us see them daily, some of us never heard of them. For those who haven’t heard of them, we’ll explain it for you. These are private companies who sole purpose is to escort the funeral home and the grieving on public roads to insure their safe passage to the final resting place of the deceased.

While it is arguable this service is needed, it does exist in many states and cities. These services can range from one vehicle with no lighting to several vehicles that resemble local law enforcement officials. The latter is what we are going to discuss with this update.

We have been noticing the funeral escort business is becoming another outlet for whackers, wannabes, and when things go too far, impostors. Some of these companies use law enforcement style vehicles, uniforms, and equipment in their duties. In our observations, the only equipment that should be used by both ends of the spectrum is legal lighting.

Funeral Escorts do not need public safety grade vehicles, duty gear, and some cases uniforms. For what little effort a funeral escort is putting out, a duty belt and weapons aren't needed along with vehicles imitating law enforcement vehicles. Uniforms should show consistency and professionalism however a lot of times they include everything from typical law enforcement design to badges and "awards."

A lot of the companies we are discussing here have gone the route of tricking the public rather than trying to get their attention. By tricking we are meaning that some companies openly try to look like law enforcement rather than trying different graphics are smartly placed lights to gain the motorist’s attention.

To wrap things up, we mainly want to profile this sub-culture of whackers and wannabes to bring to light their existence. Like security and other fringe private safety fields, they have a purpose. But for some, if not a lot use their existence as a vehicle for their own ulterior motives.   

Greed Sometimes Benefits Whackers

This week we wrap up our summer coverage of the whacker subculture. See whackers have to get their tools of confusion from somewhere. Unlike firearms, sales of lights are unregulated and pretty much open to anyone with cash. Now a lot of companies have taken steps to prevent improper use of their products such as requiring proper ID or proof of intended use with emergency colors. On the other hand, there are businesses that are greedy and will sell to anyone with the money. Sometimes this is done with the full knowledge of the intent of the purchaser.

There have been numerous stories published about impostors who have obtained their law enforcement equipment from a deal who didn’t check. Usually these companies tighten up their control of sales until the bad cloud has moved on and will resume selling to anyone with the cash.

Some companies have taken the partial control approach by restricting certain colors on preconfigured lighting units. However these self imposed rules can be circumvented, even with their help. When I was still a fire fighter, I ordered a blue mini halogen light bar from such a dealer. I was told I couldn’t order a blue light bar due to “restrictions.” However, I was told by the sales associate that I could order the light bar without any colored filters (clear) and order the blue filters separately. I went ahead and did so knowing what just happened.

As you can see from my example, self imposed restrictions are only good if there is no way around them, especially with employee help. Some might think this is too intrusive and more might complain about having to prove they are a fire fighter or police officer. This is a null argument as most of the same people would happily pull their ID/badge out to get something for free or at a reduced price from a local vendor/business.

In closing, we are not asking for government imposed restrictions. However, with the increase of impostor crimes and the deterioration of society, it might be right around the corner. The primary source of this equipment is the dealer or person selling them to anyone. Asking a simple question or asking for ID or other proof takes less than 5 minutes and might keep around impostor from hurting someone.

Remembering Patriot Day

Across the internet, this day, as every day with the date of 09/11 people are recollecting what they did that day.

Some recount where they were, some recount how they heard the news, and some recount how it affected them. Anyone alive at that time in the USA could probably tell you details of that day regarding their personal lives that they couldn’t if it was just any other normal day.

On several forums people have been going over that day. A lot were in the public safety field at the time, but a lot weren’t. A lot were in school or not even remotely involved in the field. While we all agree that age doesn’t make a difference and experience does, but this is something different. Those who weren’t involved in the public safety field that day will never know what that day felt like to those who were in the field. Although some of those now in the field lost someone they knew, being in the field at the time gave a certain understanding that is hard to describe. Now before you take offense, we are not saying “those not in the field that day don't care”, but we are finding a growing trend with this group of people talking about that day as if they were first responders that day.

Hearing younger FF or EMS workers who where still in school, or otherwise not members of emergency services, at the time talk about 9-11 as though they were active responders bothers us. They were in school or whatever, and while they may have been scared, they didn't just witness hundreds of people who where doing the same job as them die in an act of cowardice, we did, along with every other active emergency responder on that day.

We ask everyone to remember ALL of those who lost their lives that day and those who continue to fight for our safety and freedom.

A look at another branch breed whacker, the Bounty Hunter.

Since the conception of this web site blog, we have heard reports of Bounty Hunter Whackers. Like a lot of other whacker fields, this branch breed stems from people in a legitimate field who use lights for ulterior motives. Knowing a couple of people in the bounty hunter business myself, I have an idea about their job and what they do.

We are finding it more and more common for bounty hunters to dress up police vehicles and wear police equipment in their duties. We don’t mean the gear, but they aim for the police look by taking retired CVPI’s and making them look like in service undercover police cruisers and wearing badges a lot like local law enforcement.

The general nature of bounty hunting is to find someone who fell through or is avoiding a commitment to the bail agency. Various tactics (both ethical and non-ethical) are used by bounty hunters in their pursuit of these “bail jumpers” and most times this is called “skip tracing.” Well, one of the tactics that some bounty hunters are using now is imitating the police and sometimes impersonating them to trick the bail jumpers. They use this tactic to trick bail jumpers into thinking the bounty hunters are police thus demanding the respect they would expect the police to get.

We have seen several bounty hunters using fully outfitted police vehicle look a likes so this isn’t a localized or small problem. While it might make their job easier in their eyes, it does it through lies and deception using unethical and sometimes illegal actions. Bounty hunting is a glamour less and most times unrecognized duty and sometimes people in this field will try to imitate law enforcement not only to make their job easier, but to feel closer to the law enforcement sector by imitating them.

As we always say, this does not cover ALL bounty hunters. This only covers those who take steps to look like law enforcement in the course of their duties or in their personal life. In a field that is growing more dangerous, it is starting to attract some unsavory characters or those who want to be like the police but can’t for various reasons. This is the same type of epidemic that the private security field is facing with wannabes and impostors.

Like a magnet to a metal badge, the Badge Bunny.

By badge bunny we don’t mean a rabbit wearing a shield, we mean something a lot different. This week we will cover this very interesting type as a continuation of our summer whacker/wannabe sub culture updates. Badge Bunny in the public safety field usually means a female trying to find a relationship with anyone wearing a badge. Badge Bunnies (BB) do this for the sole fact that the person they are chasing is a person of power in their eyes and nothing more. These type of people are known by many names in the areas they infest but we will refer to them as Badge bunnies to keep things simple here.

You will usually find BB’s hanging out in favorite fire department and law enforcement hangouts and attractions. BB’s are usually very promiscuous and find it hard to stay in a committed relationship for too long due to their general goals. When the newly acquired power play wears off and the human factor comes out in their new found mate, the BB will quickly leave them and start the cycle all over again. BB’s will usually have a whole wardrobe of items embellishing the logo of the department they favor or very promiscuous clothing, even more so than females of the same age group. Sometimes but not always you will find BB's working in public safety support positions as dispatchers, secretaries, boosters, and other fringe positions that work closely with the field.

BB’s can easily be found trying to have a relationship with anyone that is single in a certain department. This can be a running joke in a department as the BB has worn out their welcome or their true colors have been found out.

So you might ask why policeposers.com decided to cover the topic of badge bunnies? Well, the answer is simple. Like a lot of the types of people we cover on this site, the badge bunny exists for the simple lust for power and nothing more. Take away the fact they want to hunt down a person with a badge to live off of their prestige, then we wouldn’t have them.

SAR whackers, searching for a reason to use their lights.

On part two of our whacker subculture summer updates, we bring you the SAR whacker type. Now we know there are legitimate groups out there who use lighting. We understand in some area SAR groups are needed. Most times these groups are endorsed by companies, public safety agencies, or even on their own. Also to add to that most of them are certified to do the services they do and are part of the overall emergency response doctrine.

With that being said, there is also a subculture of SAR whackers out there and we will discuss that here. In some areas where SAR services are needed but there is a vacuum, whackers might create an SAR group. With little training for motivation for public safety, these whackers outfit their car with borderline legal lighting setups and use them when they can. Most of these whackers will have little if any SAR personal gear but will be the first to show up to a lost child call in their POV’s with lights shining brightly.

These types of groups usually start up with a core of true wannabes trying to be official and thus evolve into full fledged whacker groups. At times, they might even use catchy names such as “XXXXX County SAR” or “XXXXX City SAR” to sound more official than other names without official endorsement from the respective cities or counties.

In the past there have been SAR groups that were started for the sole fact to imitate professionals. These groups will use their SAR status to springboard themselves into other avenues of the public safety field. A good example is the TAMSAR group (Team Alpha Medical Search and Rescue). This group started out as a simple group of kids forming a SAR group to a full fledged impostor organization performing law enforcement type duties using the Bureau of Land Management as their authorization.

In closing, we want to express SAR is a legitimate field, but as with security, it is a target of abuse and impostors. This stems from the fact there is very little national and state level certifications or official recognition of stand alone SAR groups. Another issue stems from the fact SAR is a broad field that entails a lot of duties and tasks. This gives impostors and other abusers a wide range of ways to commit illegal and unethical acts while under the umbrella of the SAR title.

Scanner Chasers, self dispatched wannabe witnesses.

It’s 3am and you hear someone rummaging around in your living room. Knowing no one is supposed to be doing this you grab the nearest phone and dial 911. The dispatcher sends a police officer to your residence. As you sit there and wait, all you hear is the burglar and the occasional dog bark in the neighborhood. Then you hear a car in the distance, stopping and accelerating several times getting closer. You hear them pull up out front so you think the police are at your house and you are saved. You look out your bedroom window and see someone get out of their rusty and dilapidated car with scanner in hand and an ear bud in their ear. It’s not the police, it’s a scanner chaser coming to watch the horror of emergency service with a grin on their face.

Scanner chasers have been around since the first radios waves were used by the emergency services. A lot of these chasers want to get into the action without being physically involved. If you go to any emergency scene you will see this sub-culture swarming about enjoying the thrill without being of any type of help.

Why we bring up this sub culture is the fact they share many traits as the wannabes we have discussed on this site. They both crave action they have no business being involved in, they both are usually not the norm for society and are largely outcasts or socially inept. Deep down the scanner chaser wants to help or be involved but most times they get to the incident only to stay back or hide due to general cowardice or lack of knowledge on how to handle the situation. Very rarely a scanner chaser will get involved without being asked to and it turns out positive. However this is a rare case scenario and usually they get in the way or make matters worse for the real emergency responders.

Through the time this site has been online, we are finding these chaser and wannabes/impostors are more common than one might think. A lot of it has to do with power issues and actual lack of personal life control and the other has to do with the social aspect. Wannabes tend to want people to believe they are official or important. Scanner chaser are somewhat opposite but the same in a unique way as they both crave action without wanting to do the training or other certifications an emergency services job requires. Both also think in their own twisted way that they are always right and their actions help the world.

So in conclusion, we talked about the scanner chaser and in coming updates we will be discussing other sub-cultures often overlooked in the world of wannabes, whackers, and impostors. We will shed new light on these types and hopefully educate the world on the dangers and hazards of their existence.