Police departments are finding creative ways to catch speeding drivers, often outsmarting those who only slow down when they spot a speed camera.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol has used one such technique at nearly no extra cost to fool speeding drivers into thinking that they are approaching a normal semi truck on the highway.
Only when one gets close or drives past it does one realize that the white semi truck was a marked police patrol vehicle, commissioned into the force to report speeding incidents.
The clever strategy from OSHP comes after it issued 2,142 work zone speeding citations along the turnpike in 2025, with more than half of them being for speeding 20 miles over the speed limit.
OSHP Reused Seized Truck for Patrolling Duties
According to a report by News 5 Cleveland, the semi truck was seized under the Ohio Drug Offender Law. Still, instead of using it for recruitment or education, the OSHP decided to use the vehicle to help troopers identify speeding violations and issue tickets.
Troopers hope that this new tactic will deter drivers from speeding in work zones. OSHP Sergeant Ryan Purpura reported that work zone speeding was on the rise: “It’s something that we see far too often.”
The semi truck is driven around by two officers, who become a part of a group effort to fine speeding violators. One officer drives the semi truck and operates the speed radar, while the other coordinates with nearby troopers over the radio, passing on necessary information.
The troopers follow a suspect and await approval from the officers in the semi truck to conduct a traffic stop. This strategy would reportedly help drivers obey speed limits in work zones.
Notably, over 1,000 workers are expected to help in 2026 with a continued pavement replacement project. Ohio Turnpike Public Information Officer Brian Newbacher said the addition of the semi truck to the OSHP fleet would be an added advantage:
“It’s such a high profile enforcement detail that’s clearly going to get the attention of motorists in our work zones especially.”
With the summer season on the horizon, drivers have been urged to slow down on the turnpike and be prepared for delays due to the construction work.
Newbacher asked motorists to look out for workers:
“If you don’t see them right away. They are going to be there, whether it’s in a median wall. Some cases there are no barriers. Just cones and barrels.”
He added:
“Just plan ahead a few extra minutes. You’ll get to your destination safely, and our workers will get home safely.”
$60,000 Corvette Is Now a Suffolk County Police PR Exhibition
In another report of how the police used a seized vehicle creatively, a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was taken away by Suffolk County Police in 2022, only to become a patrol vehicle aimed at reducing DWI incidents.
Guessing Headlights reported that the seized Corvette looks like a police car with a siren and flashing lights. A “DWI seizure” sticker at the back lets onlookers know how the police got a Corvette in the first place. The car is being used to send a stern message to potential offenders and will not be included in the police patrol fleet.
The owner, whose identity has not been disclosed, was arrested for drunk driving for the second time. Speaking about the seizure, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the former owner of the Corvette will remember the incident for the rest of his life, which likely saved his life.
“It was quite an impactful seizure. I’m sure the individual [prior owner] is going to remember this for the rest of his life.
“Quite frankly, that night we might have saved his life. He’s driving drunk and God know what could have happened to him if we didn’t take the car. We want people to know that if you drive drunk in Suffolk County, this could happen to your car.”
He added:
“Whatever money we could have gotten for this car at auction — this is an investment in the future for us. We get to use this car over and over again, and we’re hoping that this is going to deter drunk driving in Suffolk County.”