Fake 'Cops' Help Make Roads Safer

SEBRING Officer Theodore E. Bear may not eat, breathe, move much or give out citations but he sure knows how to get drivers to slow down.

Even his boss, Sebring Police Chief Thomas Dettman, admits that Officer Bear gets him to watch his speed once in a while.

Suddenly, he'll come upon one of his department's patrol cars and spot the large, non-moving presence sitting behind the steering wheel.

"I end up tapping the brakes myself," Dettman added.

The idea for a dummy cop came about in the 1980s during a discussion with a friend whose wife was a seamstress, Dettman said.

"We were just talking one day about deterring traffic violations and making the roads safe," he added.

That led to a full-sized stuffed animal. He was dressed up in a uniform, a campaign hat and stationed in a squad car behind the wheel.

They even decided that "If he does well within the first year, we'll double his pay," Dettman joked.

Officer Bear's first tour of duty was seven years ago, and he is still going strong. Dettman said the bear and his car are moved to different locations in the city between three and five times a week.

"Being the holiday season, he's getting ready to go into high gear," Dettman said.

While Sebring police have enlisted Mr. Bear's help, the Avon Park Police Department relies on a female CPR dummy for backup.

"When I got here, we had some additional police cars that were just parked in the parking," Chief Matt Doughney said. "My question was, 'How many people were getting robbed at the police station?' 'How many accidents happen right in front of the police department?' So, what's the return on your investment of keeping a car parked in the parking lot?"

Doughney said they will first put the car out for a few weeks just by itself, which inspires speeders to tap those brakes. Then, the dummy - dressed in an APPD uniform - is put in the car, causing motorists to think they're seeing an actual officer. It's not until the get closer that they realize the officer is a fake.

"The next time they come by and they (think), 'Ah, it's just the police car with the dummy in it,'" Doughney said. "They get close enough to the car and if they're speeding, the officer just flips his lights on and off or waves at them. So now, they don't know what to think."

Lake Placid Police Chief Phil Williams said his department has utilized the services of "Sammy," a blow-up doll that looks like a businessman. The police shirt is put over him and into a squad car he goes.

"We haven't done it for awhile," Williams said. "Unless you move it around, it loses its effectiveness."

Doughney said he will never know how effective the use of dummies in patrol cars to deter traffic violations will be - because nothing happens.

"You'll never know what the return on your investment is," he said. "If that car prevents one wreck or one person from going to the hospital, it's worth it. But you'll never know. But you'll know what happens if you don't do it."