Minnesota Session Laws - 1987, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1987 

                        CHAPTER 162-H.F.No. 217 
           An act relating to traffic regulations; providing for 
          the operation by certain police departments and 
          sheriffs' offices of specially marked vehicles for 
          highway traffic law enforcement; amending Minnesota 
          Statutes 1986, section 169.98, subdivision 1, and by 
          adding a subdivision. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1986, section 169.98, 
subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
    Subdivision 1.  Except as provided in subdivision 
subdivisions 2 and 2a, all motor vehicles which are primarily 
used in the enforcement of highway traffic rules by the state 
patrol or for general uniform patrol assignment by any municipal 
police department or other law enforcement agency, except 
conservation officers, shall have uniform colors and markings as 
provided herein.  Motor vehicles of: 
    (a) Municipal police departments, including the University 
of Minnesota police department and park police units, and 
constables shall be predominantly blue, brown, green or white;  
    (b) The state patrol shall be predominantly maroon; and 
    (c) The county sheriffs' office shall be predominantly 
brown or white.  
    The identity of the governmental unit operating the vehicle 
shall be displayed on both front door panels and on the rear of 
the vehicle.  The identity may be in the form of a shield or 
emblem, or may be the word "police," "sheriff," or the words 
"state patrol" or "conservation officer," as appropriate, with 
letters not less than 2-1/2 inches high, one inch wide and of a 
three-eighths inch brush stroke.  The identity shall be of a 
color contrasting with the background color so that the motor 
vehicle is easily identifiable as belonging to a specific type 
of law enforcement agency.  Each vehicle shall be marked with 
its own identifying number on the rear of the vehicle.  The 
number shall be printed in the same size and color required 
pursuant to this subdivision for identifying words which may be 
displayed on the vehicle.  
     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1986, section 169.98, is 
amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
    Subd. 2a.  The chief of police of a home rule or statutory 
city, and the sheriff of a county, may authorize within the 
jurisdiction the use of specially marked police or sheriff's 
vehicles for primary use in the enforcement of highway traffic 
laws and ordinances when in the judgment of the chief of police 
or sheriff the use of specially marked vehicles will contribute 
to the safety of the traveling public.  A specially marked 
vehicle is a vehicle that is marked only with the shield of the 
city or county and the name of the proper authority on the right 
front door of the vehicle.  The number of specially marked 
vehicles owned by a police department of a city of the first 
class may not exceed ten percent of the total number of vehicles 
used by that police department in traffic law enforcement, and a 
city or county that uses fewer than 11 vehicles in traffic law 
enforcement may not own more than one specially marked vehicle.  
A specially marked vehicle may be operated only by a uniformed 
officer and must be equipped and operated to indicate clearly to 
the driver of a vehicle signalled to stop that the specially 
marked vehicle is being operated by a police department or 
sheriff's office. 
    Approved May 16, 1987