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House debates bill to broaden unmarked vehicle authorization for Highway Patrol
Summary
Sponsor said HB 87 would relax specific statutory limits on unmarked vehicle use by the Utah Highway Patrol while preserving officer uniforming and requiring commissioner approval; sponsor cited a one-week safety campaign that reduced crashes by 25% as support amid questions about public safety when unmarked cars pull over lone motorists.
Representative DeMar Budd Bowman presented House Bill 87 to the floor, explaining the 1999 statute limited the number and specific uses of unmarked vehicles by the Utah Highway Patrol. Bowman said HB 87 does not seek to increase the total number of unmarked vehicles but would remove a statutory limitation on where and when an unmarked vehicle may be used for traffic enforcement, while retaining visibility requirements and requiring the commissioner of public safety to approve operations that rely on unmarked vehicles.
Bowman described an "Arrive Alive" campaign on I-15 that used unmarked vehicles and extra manpower for one week and, he said, yielded a "dramatic decrease of 25% in crashes compared to the week before the campaign." He framed the bill as a targeted tool for crash reduction rather than a step to expand routine unmarked enforcement.
Representative Shurtleff asked whether the bill would create public-safety risks when lone motorists are pulled over by unmarked cars. Bowman responded the bill requires officers to be in uniform and to exercise "extreme common sense" when stopping vehicles, and noted cities and counties already have authority to use unmarked vehicles. Bowman said the expanded flexibility would require commissioner approval and would be used sparingly.
Summation was offered and waived; the House proceeded to voting procedures on the bill during the session. The transcript records debate and floor questions but does not record a final roll-call passage for HB 87 in the provided excerpt.
Supporters argued the change would give the Highway Patrol an additional tactical tool for targeted enforcement campaigns; opponents on the floor raised concerns about driver safety during stops by unmarked vehicles and sought assurances about uniforms and operational safeguards.
