intel

CopCabs Are Totally Freaking Us Out Right Now

Is it a cab or a cop?Photo: Getty Images

Attention citizens: Does everyone know that cops now cruise around the city undercover in taxis? That’s right: The fuzz, the Man, the 5-0, in regular New York yellow cabs. Just now on a rare excursion outside the building, we saw it happen: A taxi morphed into a police car right in front of our very eyes. We mean, it didn’t change colors or anything, but all of a sudden, lights were flashing from under the front hood, the siren noise started coming out of somewhere, and it pulled over a blue sedan. Everyone on the sidewalk stared as four giant cops got out. “That is so weird,” said a woman on her phone. “I’ve never seen that before,” said New York’s photo guy Everett. Neither had we. As only two of the cops could lean through the windows and intimidate the driver, we moseyed over to one of the ones who was just standing there to ask about his stealth vehicle. He looked at us nervously, like he was worried we were about to ask why four white cops pulled over a black dude who didn’t really look like he was doing anything. But we just asked about the car. Are there a lot of them around? “There’s a good number,” he said, and we backed away before being arrested on trumped-up charges.

When we got back to the office, Jessica Coen said she saw a CopCab just the other night. We don’t know about you, but we find this kind of alarming. It’s just totally unfair. When cops drive cop cars, you at least get a warning. When one pulls into view, you have time to make the decision to eat your joint or not jaywalk or not speed or, you know, stand up straight or whatever. But if cops are riding around in taxis, that throws off the whole system. It’s like cheating. Plus, it’s going to make us paranoid. Because if cops are in taxis, they could be anywhere. Ice-cream trucks. Pedicabs. Those funny old antique cars. How do you even know to pull over for them? We would have asked the guy in the car today — but he looked kind of busy.

CopCabs Are Totally Freaking Us Out Right Now