A video of a police department’s alleged new “ghost car”—where the police detailing can be turned on and off with a switch—has gone viral on TikTok.
Posted by @bigrecktv, the clip has now reached over 850,000 views. In the video, a plain, gray car can be seen parked in a garage.
In an instant, glaring yellow police detailing appears on the side of the vehicle, appearing to show that it is a squad car from the Rich Square, North Carolina police department.
As the video plays, text overlay appears that says, “New ghost cars, y’all boys be safe out here though.”
The concern about this car on TikTok? It is a police vehicle capable of being entirely undetectable. Commenters were outraged at the ghost car. Many called into question the police motto of “protect and serve,” asking how this visual trick contributes to public safety.
“I don’t understand how this is not entrapment,” wrote @chriscarr038.
“‘Serve and protect’ *hides themselves as much as possible*,” wrote @youalreadyknowthough.
Many commenters were also concerned about situations where an individual needs to identify a cop car for their safety. If the ghost car is still in its disguised mode, it would be hypothetically indistinguishable from any other civilian car.
@david_partida01 commented, “ What if someone was in an emergency and they ran around looking for a cop Bc they don’t have a phone”
“What am I supposed to do if I need to flag down a cop?” asked @_zarik. “Aren’t we supposed to be able to see them easily?”
With police brutality being a persistent issue, fear over unidentifiable police cars is a rational concern. Over 1,000 people have been shot and killed by cops in the past year, according to the Washington Post‘s police shootings database.
The Daily Dot contacted @bigrecktv, through Instagram direct message, and the Rich Square Police Department for comment on the ghost car.
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