Stickers, Magnets, Decals

[Dan Robinson]

I think they do make a difference between being pulled over vs not pulled over/investigated when you are out by yourself late at night. All the cop wants to know is if you're up to no good, a 'stealth' vehicle is more likely in my experience to have plates run and license checked. Criminals don't usually like to drive conspicuous vehicles.

During one of the recent snowstorms in STL, I had 3 units converge around me with full lights while I was filming traffic along the interstate from the side of a low-traffic cross street overpass. I was in 'stealth mode' with nothing but a camera. They ran everything on me and stayed for about 20 minutes. I was tired and ready to go home anyway and didn't feel like getting wrongfully arrested to prove a point, so I didn't protest. It did make me want to pull my magnets out of storage for the next time. I ran a vehicle with decals and mags for 6 years and never had that happen. Plenty of cops stopping to say hi, never a felony stop.

I'm not an advocate of driving a big billboard around any longer, because it does no good otherwise. I don't like to stand out in everyday driving. No one cares about chasing, advertising your site won't produce any results (I've tried).

 

[Jason Foster]

I've removed all chaser related stickers except for some hurricane hunter stickers (nothing to do with chasing...I just thought they were neat). I actually found over the years that talking with officers is a great way to foster a positive association with chasers, get great tips on local roads or closings, hear local lore, and more. If you get pulled over for something you did that warrants a ticket...well there are plenty of other threads that talk about that.

Also...remember that decals are like advertising. You may not want the criminal element knowing your a chaser. They see stickers (or wx stations, etc.) and say...hmmm...they must have lots of equipment, and break in. Now your out a window and your stuff.

If you really like stickers. I'm sure you can look around various websites of some of the streaming websites, tour groups, government organizations and get some. Just make sure you are buying something that doesn't involve a copyrighted design. Ebay too (as mentioned) will have a decent design once in awhile.

 

[J Tyler]

Atmos Natural Gas has signs on their trucks. Is it so they can "show off"? Or, just maybe, is it because they want people to know what that strange white truck is doing that is parked in their alley?

Well, to share my story....

When I first started spotting in Oklahoma a LONG time ago, the Pontotoc County sheriff complained to our "Civil Defense" director that he was tired of his deputies getting called out on a "suspicious vehicle" call only to find out it was one of his storm spotters. So, the second year I was a spotter, they gave out these door stickers we were supposed to use. I threw a fit because I didn't want to put a sticker on the DOOR of my car....So, I didn't. Nothing happened that season, but the next year I was sitting on a hill on a dirt road when headlights came up behind me and stopped. Next thing I know a rancher is standing at my window with his shotgun telling me not to move that he has called the Sheriff! Scared the absolute hell out of me. Turns out some stuff had been stolen out of this guys barn several times recently, and I looked like I was up to no good sitting out there in the dark. To make things worse, when he called the Sheriffs office, they specifically asked if there was a storm spotter logo on the car.

So, you boys do what you wish, and I'm going to do what I wish. I've had a shotgun pointed at me in the dark. An earlier poster had a cop think he was part of a drug deal. I had a set of magnetic signs made back then, and still use a set. Guess what?! No problems. People look outside and know why a strange vehicle has stopped in front of their house. Cops driving down the highway know why I'm sitting on a side road. Getting a ticket has to do with breaking the law, not whether you have a sign on your car so that excuse is lame to me. If I'm wanting to "show off", I would drive my Viper instead of my Xterra with some signs on the doors.

 

[Steven Yezek]

I have gotten a few Skywarn items including magnets from anything weather.

http://www.anythingweatherstore.com/

 

[Joshua Nall]

......
I won't be doing anything I shouldn't be doing, but here in NC....there aren't as many storm chasers as there are out west. Around here, alot of times if the cops ride by and you're sitting on the side of the road....they are going to stop and question you. I have no problem with that, just figured if they see a sticker or decal, they'll figure out what I'm doing and not worry with me.

I know exactly what your talking about. This is the first year I've consider putting something on my truck. Since I'm out at night a lot shooting lightning, I'll have an officer stop and ask what I'm doing, not just sometimes, but a majority of the time. Once I was trying to get a water tower and some lightning in a shot, not knowing that I was parked at the entrance to the water tower. I had several cars pull around with lights flashing and spots shinning on me... I was like "Oh no, what have I done." Not a good idea to park at the entrance to a water supply amidst terrorist activity.
Once I was down for a hurricane and I was backed up to a Lowes watching their storage sheds blow away. An officer stopped and questioned me there twice. My truck was a bit disorganized, and by the way he was acting I really wondered if he thought maybe I had stolen all the camera equipment in my seat along with whatever he thought I was about to steal from Lowes... lol.

I don't mind them stopping, but it gets annoying, especially if I'm in the middle of something. Not too crazy about stickers and such... I'm leaning more towards a small flashing light that I can turn on and off. With my disdain for the incorrect use of lightbars and flashers, its hard to come to grips with the thought of putting a light on my vehicle, but I can't think of anything better. How many bad guys are going to be advertising their whereabouts with a light on their vehicle.

 

[DRMabe]

Lots of good points here, from both sides. I'm not familiar with all of the "chaser etiquette" yet. From what I've read, lightbars seem to be frowned upon. I personally wouldn't mount any lights on my vehicle, but what another person does is their choice and their business. Not my place to call them out on something because I don't agree with it. Seems there are strong opinions on both sides about decals as well. I'm still undecided at the moment.....

 

[N Parker]

Won't stop them from "lighting" you up, but will help identify you in a situation like some have described. Now, I don't advocate having half your vehicle covered in decals and such, but I will always run a small magnetic one on mine, only on while out looking at the weather, and taken off just as soon as I change back over to "average joe". I'm not in the crowd that turn on my 2000 amber lights with reflective stickers all over, I mainly just want to be identified by those that are curious why the hell im sitting on the side of the road in a storm. And yes, I have quite a few flashing amber LED's on my truck, but those are STRICTLY for pilot escort services. (Work for a heavy equipment company and have two bridges on the way to 3 major quarries that have to be blocked to allow trucks to cross.) Now, If I see a situation while out chasing, say a traffic accident with no responders on the scene or to provide "signaling" for emergency services, I will engage them. But anyhoo, before this turns into another "lightbar" thread, i'll hush. I know I will always run a sign on my truck, regardless of what some folks say. In fact as I think about it, I have a close family friend who is a LEO for Illinois State Police. He saw my truck setup one day and mentioned it was a very good thing to see the signs on the vehicle. Mentioned it would have made him feel alot better seeing my truck on the side of the road with a "Skywarn" decal and a storm ongoing. In his words, "If I didn't know you, and you weren't breaking any traffic laws, I would have left you alone and let you do your thing.".....

 

[Adam Lucio]

www.anythingweather.com has a bunch of decals and stuff. Some are Skywarn and some are not.

Stickers like anything else is a personal choice. There are pros and cons to having them and pros and cons to not having them. Its up to you to weigh the options for yourself. Personally I dont see the problem with them, though having them all over does look tacky but who am I to suggest automotive styles.

 

[Sean Ramsey]

I would think if someone had a website, photography or other type of project they would want to have at something on their vehicle to promote it. A lot of time is spent in low population areas, but there are times during a chase waiting for a set up (or chasing in a populated area) where we are visible to a lot of people who might take interest. I'm contemplating doing it.

 

[Jason Foster]

I would think if someone had a website, photography or other type of project they would want to have at something on their vehicle to promote it. A lot of time is spent in low population areas, but there are times during a chase waiting for a set up (or chasing in a populated area) where we are visible to a lot of people who might take interest. I'm contemplating doing it.

I've actually done this in the past. I personally have seen no benefit from it, and I live in a high population density suburban and urban environment. Monitoring the web stats when I added and/or took away website related decals and lettering...netted no noticeable change. Promotional decals become more important when folks join up to a local media outlet or have the funds to go full out with a partial or full vehicle wrap. But then you are talking $1200 for the graphics alone.

Others may have had difference experiences, that's just my own.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The PR aspect is a lost cause, doesn't work at all. Been there. That goes along with PR from TV/news/interviews/articles having no value. Topic for another thread someday...

 

[Tim Stoecklein]

...just figured if they see a sticker or decal, they'll figure out what I'm doing and not worry with me.

I'm definitely one for the low-profile chase/spotter vehicle, but I've experienced the "benefit" of having a simple Skywarn sticker on my back window when officers have taken a closer look when I'm parked on the side of a road in the past. To each their own, but I don't think a simple sticker is going to hurt much.

 

[James Hammett]

I'm definitely one for the low-profile chase/spotter vehicle, but I've experienced the "benefit" of having a simple Skywarn sticker on my back window when officers have taken a closer look when I'm parked on the side of a road in the past.

Agreed...my current chase vehicle has a small Skywarn sticker next to my license plate that is just big enough to see when an officer is checking out my plate wondering why I'm parked on the side of the road at night. Years ago I had three LE vehicles converge on me while parked thinking I was involved in a string of robberies that had gone down in the area. I've found the sooner the conversation turns to the weather the better!

 

[cedwards]

I will have to second a vote for Jack Kertzie http://jkstorm.com/ his decals and magnets are top quality.