Lauren, dialing 112 and the unmarked police car – Fact Check
A cautionary tale claims that a woman named Lauren had narrowly avoided being raped by a criminal posing as a police officer in an unmarked police car after she called 112, which connected her to the emergency services.
MIXTURE
A few of different variants of this tale have circulated social media in the past, and we include some examples below. However they all typically make the following claims –
– A man in an unmarked police car turned out to be a convicted rapist
– You don’t have to pull over for an unmarked car
– 112 will connect you to the emergency services
– 112 will connect you to the emergency services, if 999 or 911 fail due to lack of signal.
These claims are a mixture of true and false and we go into each below.
EVERYBODY SHOULD READ THIS!!!!!!!!!
REPOST…IT CAN SAVE A LIFE OR TWO!!!
WARNING: Some knew about the red light on cars, but not Dialing 112.
An UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put his lights on. Lauren’s parents have always told her to never pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc.
Lauren had actually listened to her parents advice, and promptly called, 112 on her cell phone to tell the police dispatcher that she would not pull over right away. She proceeded to tell the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing red light on his rooftop behind her. The dispatcher checked to see if there were police cars where she was and there werent, and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back up already on the way.
Ten minutes later 4 cop cars surrounded her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes.
I never knew about the 112 Cell Phone feature. I tried it on my AT&T phone & it said, “Dialing Emergency Number.”
Especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for an unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going on to a safe place.
*Speaking to a service representative at Bell Mobility confirmed that 112 was a direct link to State trooper info. So, now it`s your turn to let your friends know about “Dialing, 112”
You may want to send this to every Man, Woman & Youngster you know; it may well save a life.
This applies to ALL 50 states
PLEASE PASS ALONG TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY, IT CAN SAVE A LIFE….
Lauren was driving to visit a friend, when an UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put its lights on. Lauren’s parents and have always told her never to pull over for an unmarked car, but rather wait until she got to a service station, etc. Lauren remembered her parents’ advice, and telephoned 112.
This connected her to the police dispatcher, she told the dispatcher that there was an unmarked car behind her. The dispatcher checked to see if there was a police car where she was and there wasn’t and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back-up already on the way. Soon 4 police cars surrounded her and the ‘unmarked car’.
They pulled the guy from the car…the man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes.
I never knew that bit of advice, but especially for a woman alone in a car, you do not have to pull over for an UNMARKED car.
Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a ‘safe’ place.
You obviously need to make some signals that you acknowledge them, ie. put on your hazard lights or call 112.
So now it’s your turn to let your friends know about 112 (112 is an emergency number on your mobile that takes you straight to the police because 999 does not work if you have no signal).
This is good information that I did not know!
Please pass on to all your friends, especially any females
This tale has been spreading online for many years, and in classic urban legend fashion, has countless slightly adapted variations depending on the location in which it spreads. As such, the tale of Lauren and the unmarked police car is certainly apocryphal, which is to say that Lauren and this story are fiction; merely used as a cautionary tale passed between generations, just like so many other types of urban scarelore. Versions of this story have previously spread in the UK, Australia, South Africa and most popularly in the United States.
As such, the story is likely used to demonstrate the potential dangers of pulling to the side of the road as opposed to detailing the account of a real life event. With that said, other than the story itself not being real, the story also contains some misleading information, specifically about not needing to pull over for unmarked cars and the benefits of dialling 112.
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Many versions of the messages contain the assertion that you do not need to pull over for unmarked police cars that are flashing you, and this is deceptive. The specific guidelines can vary depending on your country and even between police forces, but the general consensus is that yes, you do need to stop for unmarked police vehicles, but only if you are sure it is indeed the police OR when you are in a safe public space. Simply taking on the blanket advice that you do not need to stop for unmarked police vehicles and consequently refusing to stop for them is likely to get you into trouble.
Another claim made by many versions of this message is that the number 112 can be used to contact the emergency services, and can work if 999 or 911 fails to connect. While 112 is indeed a way of contacting the emergency services in most countries, it contains no special properties that the standard emergency number doesn’t. As such, the claim that it can connect you if 999 or 911 fails to connect is false.
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Other variants of this same tale replace 112 with *677 and *77, and these should definitely not be circulated as they can cause confusion. *677 only connects you to the police if you’re in Ontario, Canada, and *77 only works in a handful of US states. Don’t use these numbers.
To summarise, the claims made in the messages and their rating are below –
The story of Lauren and the unmarked car: FALSE
You should wait to stop for an unmarked police car when you get somewhere safe and public: TRUE (providing you’re unsure if it is the police.)
You don’t have to pull over for an unmarked police car: FALSE
You can connect to the emergency services using 112: TRUE
You should use 112 because it can connect even if you have no service: FALSE
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