Phony Cop Cars? Holy Masquerade Batman–Quartzsite’s Got it All!

If you’ve been cruising Quartzsite in the last month or two, you’ve probably noticed the sudden uptick in the number of police cruisers, quietly watching traffic along the main drags. Or are they? A closer inspection of these “patrol cars” reveals a conspicuous absence of a lawman–and they aren’t down at the bakery grabbing a cup of QZ Java.

Looks as though it’s all part of the concerted “crackdown on crime,” in the form of those with lead feet. Yep, Quartzsite’s PD is interested in your health and safety, and they want you to slow down to accomplish it. There’s a particular emphasis on nailing folks under the influence of drugs or drink–and obviously the “decoy cars” parked along the B-10 won’t probably do much good for that, but the sight of a cruiser just on the other side of the city sidewalk makes even the most law-abiding folk among us do a double-take on our speedometer.

Chief Gilbert probably needn’t worry about keeping the phony speedo-cars out after the first of the month. If history holds true, when the snowbirds hit town for the big month of shows, you couldn’t get up to the speed limit with the amount of traffic on the streets, even if you wanted to.

This all reminds us of the little ditty going around: The traffic cop spots a driver weaving back and forth, crossing the line and hitting the rumble strips. After pulling the errant motorist over, the officer asks, “You know, your eyes are a little glassy, Sir. Have you been drinking?”

The driver looks the cop dead in the eye, and with a slurred voice asks in return, “Ossifer, you know, your eyes are a little glazed. Have you been eating a doughnut?”

photo: Jonas B on flickr.com