Distracted driving remains a major hazard on the roads, but police officers in New Jersey are taking an extraordinarily unconventional approach to crack down on offenders: by disguising themselves as walking shrubbery.
Law enforcement officers in the Garden State have been spotted wearing full ghillie suits, head-to-toe camouflage covered in fake foliage, standing along sidewalks. Dubbed by locals as “police sasquatches,” these camouflaged officers use high-powered binoculars to spot drivers glancing down at their phones, texting, or violating hands-free driving laws. Once a distracted driver is identified, the hidden officer radios the license plate details to a waiting patrol car stationed further down the road to execute the traffic stop.
The absurdity of the operation appears to be part of the strategy to raise public awareness, and the results are hard to ignore. A single six-hour sting operation conducted last week caught 74 distracted drivers.
While the technique is effective, it has sparked debate among residents and legal observers. Critics have raised concerns over whether the bizarre sight of a human-sized bush standing on a public sidewalk could ironically end up distracting attentive drivers, potentially causing them to gawk or swerve.
Despite the controversy, there are no legal prohibitions against officers using clever concealment tactics on duty. In New Jersey, penalties for violating the state’s hands-free driving law are steep: fines start at $200 for a first offense, rise to $600 for repeat violations, and a third offense can result in a 90-day driver’s license suspension.
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