Louisiana: Underbody neon lights = impersonating an officer?

[ehov]

I have a show car which is equipped with neon lights underneath that fade from one color to another, and cycles through 7 colors or so, blue being one of them. Tonight I was in a gas station with them on, and 3 cop cars pull up and block me and the car next to me in (they were there for the car next to me). When I exited the store, one of the older officers who had a younger officer with him asks 'is this your car?' to which I reply 'yes sir'. He's silent for about 5 seconds and I go to get into my car and he says 'well it's illegal to have a vehicle equipped with any type of blue lights'. I tell him that I thought it was legal as long as the car was parked and not on a roadway (I was about 100ft from any street). He says that I'm incorrect and that he could charge me with impersonating a police officer. He stays there being a complete jerk to me and showing his (lack of) knowledge of the law.

My question is this:
Would a charge such as this even stick? I've seen no evidence at all that having underbody neons on your car is illegal while parked on private property, and Louisiana law RS 32.327 states the following:


A. Any lighted lamp or illuminating device upon a motor vehicle, other than head lamps, spotlamps, auxiliary lamps, flashing turn signals, emergency vehicle warning lamps and school bus warning lamps, which project a beam of light of an intensity greater than 300 candlepower shall be so directed that no part of the high intensity portion of the beam will strike the level of the roadway on which the vehicle stands at a distance of seventy-five feet from the vehicle.
B. No person shall drive or move any vehicular equipment upon any highway of this state with any lamp or device thereon displaying a red or green light visible from directly in front of the center thereof. This section shall not apply to any vehicle upon which a red or green light visible from the front is expressly authorized or required by this Chapter or by regulation of the department.
C. Flashing lights are prohibited except on authorized emergency vehicles, school buses, or on any vehicle as a means of indicating a right or left turn, or the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.
D. No person shall sell a dashboard, hood, vehicle front grill, or vehicle roof mounted emergency light that emits a blue or red glow, or that emits a glow in any combination of the colors red, white, and blue, to any person who is not a peace officer, a firefighter, or a person employed in the performance of emergency or public utility services. No person shall possess such an emergency light except peace officers, firefighters, public utility, and emergency personnel. .....

http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss_doc/lss_house/RS\32\Doc 88269.html

That is the only information I can find about anything possibly pertaining to neon lights underneath a vehicle.


To see what these lights look like, see the following:
http://s2.supload.com/free/neons.gif/view/ (1.6mb file size, most accurate... they actually fade at 1/2 of this speed or maybe even 1/3)
http://s2.supload.com/free/neons_opt.gif/view/ (smaller file, they fade much much slower than this file suggests)

How my vehicle could be mistaken in any way for a police vehicle, I have no idea.

 

[seniorjudge]

I have a show car which is equipped with neon lights underneath that fade from one color to another, and cycles through 7 colors or so, blue being one of them. Tonight I was in a gas station with them on, and 3 cop cars pull up and block me and the car next to me in (they were there for the car next to me). When I exited the store, one of the older officers who had a younger officer with him asks 'is this your car?' to which I reply 'yes sir'. He's silent for about 5 seconds and I go to get into my car and he says 'well it's illegal to have a vehicle equipped with any type of blue lights'. I tell him that I thought it was legal as long as the car was parked and not on a roadway (I was about 100ft from any street). He says that I'm incorrect and that he could charge me with impersonating a police officer. He stays there being a complete jerk to me and showing his (lack of) knowledge of the law.

My question is this:
Would a charge such as this even stick? I've seen no evidence at all that having underbody neons on your car is illegal while parked on private property, and Louisiana law RS 32.327 states the following:


A. Any lighted lamp or illuminating device upon a motor vehicle, other than head lamps, spotlamps, auxiliary lamps, flashing turn signals, emergency vehicle warning lamps and school bus warning lamps, which project a beam of light of an intensity greater than 300 candlepower shall be so directed that no part of the high intensity portion of the beam will strike the level of the roadway on which the vehicle stands at a distance of seventy-five feet from the vehicle.
B. No person shall drive or move any vehicular equipment upon any highway of this state with any lamp or device thereon displaying a red or green light visible from directly in front of the center thereof. This section shall not apply to any vehicle upon which a red or green light visible from the front is expressly authorized or required by this Chapter or by regulation of the department.
C. Flashing lights are prohibited except on authorized emergency vehicles, school buses, or on any vehicle as a means of indicating a right or left turn, or the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.
D. No person shall sell a dashboard, hood, vehicle front grill, or vehicle roof mounted emergency light that emits a blue or red glow, or that emits a glow in any combination of the colors red, white, and blue, to any person who is not a peace officer, a firefighter, or a person employed in the performance of emergency or public utility services. No person shall possess such an emergency light except peace officers, firefighters, public utility, and emergency personnel. .....

http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss_doc/lss_house/RS\32\Doc 88269.html

That is the only information I can find about anything possibly pertaining to neon lights underneath a vehicle.


To see what these lights look like, see the following:
http://s2.supload.com/free/neons.gif/view/ (1.6mb file size, most accurate... they actually fade at 1/2 of this speed or maybe even 1/3)
http://s2.supload.com/free/neons_opt.gif/view/ (smaller file, they fade much much slower than this file suggests)

How my vehicle could be mistaken in any way for a police vehicle, I have no idea.

Was there a question in there?

 

[CdwJava]

Look at section "C" regarding flahing lights. I looked at the pop-up ad filled link, and saw the oscillation of the lights ... *I* would consider them to be flashing lights - though being that they are underbody might make it a tough sell. But, the section does not exempt flashing lights under the car or specify that flashing lights directly visible are the only ones unlawful. They are lights, they are flashing, and they are not on an emergency vehicle, therefore, it is a judgement call and you had better hope that you get a judge that likes those things ... but most of us older folks find them to be annoying.

NOTE: I just read your comment on the speed of the oscillation and that they cycle slower than the image shows. That may help you ... but, it may not. Personally, if I had it my way, I'd outlaw all the under carriage lights as they are huge distraction to the rest of us ... fortunately, I don't get to make that decision.

- Carl

 

[outonbail]

What is the intended purpose for mounting these lights on your vehicle?

I would believe they are designed and installed to be an attention grabbing device that will quickly set your vehicle apart from the others. A unique tool you feel adds an element of class and one which will ultimately draw added attention to your vehicle. Something you believe makes your vehicle more attractive and highlights other areas of detail that may otherwise may be overlooked. A magnet for human curiosity which by nature, will have people showing interest in your vehicle, asking questions, making comments and remembering the appeal they found (if any) in this added "show" feature.

Is this a fair assessment of these lights?

If so, then your post indicates that these lights worked out exactly as they were intended to work. So why are you complaining? You don't expect the extra attention they draw to be selective and attract everyone other than police officers, or "good" attention do you?

You don't mention the officer writing you a citation, so I'll assume he was simply warning you of the troubles you might face equipping your vehicle with these multi-colored lighting effects. I would expect this to happen quite frequently if you turn on this undercarriage light show whenever your out in public, even if it's only when you pump gas.

Hence, I suggest you respond to any inquires concerning these lights in a respectful manner, as claiming the police are acting like jerks and ignorant of the law may have your vehicle on display in the local impound yard , where your only trophy will be a receipt for the hundreds of dollars you spend on towing and storage charges.

To repeat what Carl said, whether or not these lights could be considered "emergency lights" and/or a violation of the vehicle equipment code you posted, is a judgment call.
Using good judgment on when to display them, will help you avoid the possibility of receiving the undesired ruling by a judge.