New Jersey Cop Disguises Himself as a Shrub to Catch Distracted Drivers
A New Jersey police department got creative in its latest crackdown on distracted driving, dressing an officer up as a shrub to catch drivers using their phones behind the wheel.
The Dunellen Police Department shared the results on Facebook Wednesday, July 29, writing, "Did you spot our 'shrub' today? If you had your head buried in your phone, probably not!" The department said the enforcement operation took place on the 100 block of North Washington Avenue, a stretch with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and was aimed at enforcing New Jersey's handheld cellphone law.
Photos shared by the department showed an officer fully outfitted in a green ghillie-style suit made of artificial leaves and branches, standing near a tree on the sidewalk and peering through binoculars at passing traffic. Another photo showed a second officer wearing a T-shirt reading "Not a Cop."
The Results
Over a six-hour period, the disguised officer helped police issue 74 citations to drivers caught using their devices while driving. "Our 'shrub' was busy," the department wrote. "We issued 74 citations to drivers distracted by their devices in a six-hour window." The post continued with a direct message to drivers: "That text or notification can wait. Keep your eyes on the road, not your screen!"
Mixed Reactions Online
The photos quickly went viral, sparking plenty of tree-related jokes alongside a more mixed response about the tactic itself. Some commenters accused the department of prioritizing revenue over safety, with one person writing, "So you are making a problem, by distracting drivers, to collect money for the city?" Others pushed back on the idea that the operation amounted to entrapment, and several residents said they'd welcome similar enforcement, including crackdowns on speeding and crosswalk violations, in their own neighborhoods.
Dunellen isn't the first department to use an unconventional disguise for distracted-driving enforcement. Police in San Bernardino, California, previously dressed as panhandlers holding signs reading "I am not homeless. SB Police. Looking for seat belt/cellphone violations," while a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer in British Columbia used a similar panhandling disguise to issue 11 citations in a single hour.
The Dunellen Police Department has not indicated whether the shrub disguise will make a return appearance in future enforcement efforts.
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