- [Narrator] Let's face it, the cops don't always cover
themselves with glory. Even so, many police
officers play a big part in keeping our streets safe, and sometimes that means playing dirty. So, from slyly tracking your car to telling outright lies to your face, let's have a look at some
of the shadiest, sneakiest, and downright most unbelievable tricks police officers actually use. (upbeat music)
(mascot screaming) Taillight touch. If you drive, you might've found yourself pulled over by the police before. Cops can do this for
whatever reason they choose, but if they're particularly
suspicious of you, they're likely to do
something a bit weird, tap the taillight of your
vehicle with their hand. Okay. But why? Well, for a start, tapping the
car might startle the driver and make them pause what they're doing. So, if they're trying to quickly hide away any illegal items, this short pause could be
enough to catch them in the act. That's not all though. By exerting a little
pressure on the taillight, the officer is also sneakily ensuring that the trunk is locked, so nobody can jump out
from it and ambush them. Pretty clever, I admit, though, that's still not the
sneakiest reason for doing it. That title is reserved for reason three, so they can leave their
fingerprints on your car. But why would a cop wanna leave their own fingerprints on your taillight? Well, it's essentially a failsafe. Police can never be sure
who they're pulling over, and the person could
turn out to be dangerous. So, by leaving prints on the car, if anything happens to the
officer or the suspect flees, that fingerprint evidence
can help prove the suspect had made contact with the
cop, tying them to the scene. These days though, security cameras are installed on almost
every street corner anyway, and it's standard practice for officers to have dash or body cams, so the technique isn't
as useful as it once was. However, many cops still do it, and it's taught in some
police forces to this day. I guess old habits really do die hard. H2-no! I can safely say I've never
been interrogated by the police, and I hope you haven't either. But if you do ever end up
in the interrogation room, you should remember one simple thing, if the interrogator
offers you a cup of water, don't, under any circumstances, accept it. If that means being
thirsty, you deal with it. This is because the cops probably aren't worrying about your hydration levels. Nope, this seemingly innocent gesture is actually a great way
of stealing your DNA and fingerprints. Say what? Yep, by simply picking up a cup of water and taking a sip from it,
you've left both your prints and saliva all over the cup. In other words, a veritable feast of data they can identify you with. Typically, the police can't
collect a DNA sample from you unless they have a warrant. But if you leave your water
cup behind after using it, it's considered abandoned. Therefore, the police don't
need a warrant to take it and collect the sample. And water isn't the only thing you need to watch out for, either. The cops can legally collect your DNA from pretty much anything you use, a discarded tissue, an old
cigarette butt, you name it. Okay, you might be thinking, "Why should I worry about this
if I've done nothing wrong?" Well, it's not common by any means, but corrupt coppers could
take your DNA or fingerprints and use them to frame you for any manner of crime
later down the line. So, by refusing water, you're
ensuring this can't happen. Damn, and I thought the criminals were supposed to be the sneaky ones. Now, you may not be able to
trust those pesky policemen, but you can always rely
on my amazing content. Just head on down and smash those like
and subscribe buttons, that way you'll never miss a trick. Done? Okay, where were we? Two-faced tactics. It's definitely very illegal
to lie to the police. In fact, it's a great way to get yourself locked
up if you're caught. But did you know this rule
doesn't work both ways? Yup, the police are allowed
to downright lie to your face if they think it will help them. Damn. So, what kind of things
can they lie about then? Well, if a police officer suspects that you've committed a crime, but they don't have any evidence, they might just lie and
tell you your fingerprints have been found at the scene anyway. That way, if you're innocent,
you'll still deny it, but if you're guilty, they
might trick you into confessing. Cops have even been known to bluff about a supposed eyewitness that's willing to testify against you. Of course, there is no eyewitness, but if they can make you believe there is, you might panic and admit to a crime. Scandalous, right? One particularly notable
case of cop deception dates back to the '70s. Oregon State Police suspected one Carl Mathiason of
committing a burglary, so the investigating
officer falsely told him that they'd found his
fingerprints at the scene. Thinking he'd been caught, Mathiason confessed to the burglary. Another sneaky win for the police, right? Well, actually, not quite. Remarkably, even though Mathiason was convicted of the crime, the Supreme Court reversed the conviction on the grounds that the interrogation took place in a "coercive environment." Mathiason was convicted in the end, but it shows that no matter
how sneaky police are, it can still backfire sometimes. Lines 'n' lies. Lie detectors, or polygraph tests, are a common trope in detective movies. You know, those devices an interrogator straps onto a suspect before asking them a load of increasingly awkward questions. They're supposed to tell when you're lying and draw it all out in a
neat little line graph. Well, the devices are real, but they're not proven to detect lies, they just measure heart
rate and breathing patterns, which change when you're anxious. But even an honest person can get nervous when under interrogation, so the tests aren't actually reliable. Not everyone knows this though, which the police sneakily
use to their advantage. Back in 2009, Californian
Darious Antoine Mays was being questioned about his involvement in a particularly heinous crime. During questioning, the
police strapped Darious up and gave him a polygraph test. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
he denied all allegations. However, the cops had rigged the test, so when it came back it looked
like he'd completely failed. Because Darious thought
he'd been caught out, when they showed him the results, he gave up and confessed to
being at the crime scene. In reality, the test had proven nothing. So, even though polygraph
tests don't actually work, they are still useful. Trust me, I'm not lying. Doggo-cop. If you couldn't already tell, the police are willing to go
to some pretty great lengths in order to catch criminals. But none of those
lengths are as ridiculous as what you're about to hear. Malky McEwan, a now-retired
policeman from Scotland, was on duty with his partner
Dan when they received a report that someone had broken
into the local rugby club. Malky and Dan rushed to the scene, but the door to the building was closed, and the two coppers had no
idea where the burglars were. They had have to think fast. Luckily though, Dan had an idea. He turned to Malky and told
him that, on his signal, he needed to start,
uh, barking like a dog. Right. How on earth was that supposed to help? Before Malky could question it though, Dan had already marched
right up to the door and shouted, "If you don't come out now, "I'll send the dog in!" Suddenly, Malky understood the plan. Hardly believing what he was doing, he took a deep breath and
started to bark loudly, doing his best impression
of an angry German Shepherd. Hopefully, the burglars would
believe there was a real dog and show themselves out of fear. Well, lo and behold,
they did show themselves. But not from fear. It turned out, they'd actually been hiding on the roof of the building. That is until the sight of
a uniformed police officer pretending to be a dog caused
them to burst out laughing. After that, the cops quickly spotted them and carried out the arrest. So, the trick didn't quite
work the way they intended, but it worked nonetheless. I can't imagine any other cops have ever used that trick though. I mean, you'd have to
be barking mad, right? The oldest trick. The good cop, bad cop interrogation method is the oldest trick in the
book for a reason, it works. You know the one, a so-called bad cop takes an aggressive, hostile
stance towards a suspect, then a good cop comes in and
takes the opposite approach. It's used by police
forces all over the world and it's so effective because
of basic human psychology. The bad cop acts so overtly terrible that when the good cop
comes in and acts nice, they seem way nicer than
they would normally. The good cop can then exploit this and gain the trust of the suspect. Then, when it's the bad cop's turn to pick up the interrogation again, they act so threatening
that it drives the suspect further into the good cop's influence. Cooperating with the good cop
suddenly seems a lot better than having to deal with the bad cop, and so, suspects are more
likely to give up information. Or, at least, they were. Because this technique is so well known, it's lost some of its effectiveness. I'd definitely still crack
under the pressure though. Luckily, the only thing
I have to confess to is providing you guys
with top-tier content. Siren sounds. Ah, police sirens. It might seem like they've been solely designed to burst your eardrums, but their painfully high
volume is essential for police to get around quickly and safely. Have you ever noticed there are actually a few different siren sounds though? Well, that's not just random, each one has its own specific use. Most people don't know, but
there are three main sounds. First off, there's yelp
mode, which sounds like this. (police siren blaring) Damn, that's annoying. It's usually used when the
police want to pull someone over. The short bursts of sound
bounce off of walls better, making it easier to
hear in built-up cities, where there are more people to pull over. Then, there's wail mode. (police siren wailing) Like the yelp, this siren alternates between high and low notes. However, it's a lot slower, which means it's best suited
to emptier, rural environments where the drawn-out
sound can reach further. Finally, we have the hi-low siren. Brace yourselves. (police siren nee-nawing) There it is, your classic "nee-naw" sound. This one's more versatile than the others and you might hear it just about anywhere. Man, I remember making that
noise when I played cops and robbers as a kid. I, uh, definitely don't do that anymore though. (clears throat) Cryptic codewords. If you've ever tried speaking pig Latin or writing letters in invisible ink, you'll know how fun it can be to communicate in a secret language. But, of course, codes aren't just for fun, U.S. law enforcement actually use one to covertly talk to each
other over their radios. In fact, they use a lot. They're called the 10 codes. Each code starts with the number 10 to indicate something
important is following before a second number is spoken, which signals the specific phrase. For example, 10-4
translates as understood, but 10-54 means livestock on the highway. You wouldn't want to get
those two confused then. When they were first
established back in 1937, police codes had two primary uses. Firstly, they helped ensure
communication was clear and easy to understand. Back then, radio technology wasn't nearly as
sophisticated as it is today, so radios were often
disrupted by extreme static or other noise, making proper
conversation difficult. The codes also helped disguise police reports from the public. That way, operations
could be kept a secret, and if a civilian accidentally tuned in, they'd just hear, "10-98,"
rather than, "Jailbreak," and be saved the panic. These days, police codes are less popular. Because there's no unified system, the same code sometimes
means different things in each state. This can get confusing, so in 2006 the U.S. federal government recommended police drop them entirely. Even so, many states
still use the codes today. I'd be useless though, I have trouble remembering
my own family's birthdays, let alone a load of random
numbers and phrases. Yeah, it'd give me real code rage. Hidelights. There's sneaky, and then
there's plain illegal. One user on the
question-and-answer website Quora described a conversation he'd
had with a Californian cop. They'd been discussing a particular tactic the cop used to catch speeding cars. And, spoiler alert, it's
both sneaky and illegal. In the alleged conversation, the cop explained that at night, he'd get a brown paper towel, wet it, and stick it to one of his headlights. Then, he'd cruise round until
he noticed somebody speeding and tail them. You see, the paper towel makes it look like the cop's headlight
is malfunctioning, and people don't expect
cops to have faulty cars. So, the speeders would usually carry on, unaware of the cop directly behind them. Until of course, he turned his siren on, then they'd know they're toast. And as soon as the
copper pulled to a stop, the now-dry paper towel would fall off. So, if the speeder
questioned the faulty light, the cop would simply
act like he didn't know what they were talking about. Dang, now that's shady. Driving with just one headlight
is illegal across the U.S. and most of the world, but
I guess so is speeding. What do you reckon? Is this an unacceptable abuse
of power or is it justifiable? Let me know down in the comments below. Peering policemen. If, like me, you get worried
about your Alexa spying on you, then buckle up. The police have got some
crazy new technology that lets them see through
the walls of your house. Okay, so they probably won't be using it to see into your house, but
it's still a scary concept. The sly device is
actually a high-tech radar called a Range-R, and law enforcement can
use it to detect motion through walls, floors, and ceilings. By placing the Range-R
on one of these surfaces and activating it, it emits radio waves, which
travel through the surface and out into the space beyond. Then, when they hit
something that's in motion, they're reflected back at
the device and analyzed. Like this, it can detect movements as small as human breathing
at up to 50 feet away. Whoa. Even crazier, advanced
versions of the radar system can be installed on drones,
flown over buildings, and used to generate
three-dimensional maps of the interiors. Jeez. Is that even legal? Well, yes. Yes, it is. But the FBI had been using it
in secret for two whole years before it was finally revealed they had the technology in 2015. So, who knows what they'd
been secretly mapping all that time? Officials claim the radar was only being used in
special rescue operations, and I'm sure it's very useful for them. Even so, it gives me the heebie-jeebies to know one of these things
could fly over my house and spy on me whenever
the police fancy it, without me even knowing. I mean, they could at least
let me tidy my room first. Bird watching. Drones have been the subject of some controversy over the years. My dad loves flying his around the yard, however, they can be
equipped with all manner of shady surveillance devices and used for more nefarious reasons too. But what if I told you that the Pentagon has poured millions of
dollars into developing a new, far sneakier way of spying on people? It's called a nano hummingbird, and it's a tiny, bird-shaped
drone that's so discreet that even if you saw it,
you'd think nothing of it. The little gizmo has a
wingspan of just 6 1/2 inches and weighs less than an AA battery, despite packing a camera
and microphone inside, so an operator can make the
drone fly and hover around completely unbeknownst to the
person under surveillance. Before you start freaking out every time you see a bird, listen. Despite its development being
funded by the U.S. government, it hasn't officially been rolled out in any police departments yet. At least as far as we know, this is the Pentagon we're
talking about here, after all, and they can be pretty secretive. Intriguingly, though, U.S.
police have reportedly expressed an interest in the tiny bird drones for surveillance purposes. What's more, larger versions
of incognito bird drones have already been rolled
out by Spanish police forces and if they prove successful, we could expect to see a lot more of them flitting around our skies. I don't know though, I'm worried enough about the radar drones without having to worry about
tiny bird cameras as well. Let's hope this is one
idea that doesn't fly. Track and chase. There's no doubt that car
chases make great movie scenes. But when the cops are trying to catch criminals in real-life, high-speed chases pose a serious risk to both police officers and civilians. The solution? StarChase, of course. Star-what? This nifty little contraption
might not look like much, but it has an in-built GPS tracker and can be fired at a fleeing
vehicle from a launcher hidden behind the grille of a police car. Okay, that's pretty cool. While mid-chase, police
can use a laser pointer to target the suspect's vehicle. Once in position, hitting a button releases a build-up of compressed air, sending the dart flying forwards. Then, when it hits its target, a layer of industrial-strength glue makes sure it's not going anywhere. And the sneakiest thing about it? The devious little device is only about the size of a golf ball, making it near enough unnoticeable unless you're looking for it. After the StarChase is
secured on the vehicle, police can slow down, drop back, and track it with their GPS, avoiding a lengthy and
dangerous car chase. And they also get to feel
like a budget version of Batman at the same time. Win-win. Unless you're the criminal of course. Lawful lasso. "Batman" isn't the only superhero movie that police have apparently
taken inspiration from. Another super-sneaky
invention in their arsenal is the BolaWrap, although this thing is more
in the realms of Spider-Man than the Caped Crusader. The handheld device has a built-in laser to help the officer aim and
shoots a powerful Kevlar tether at a suspect's arms or legs at a blindingly fast 513 feet a second. Once it hits somebody, the
Kevlar snaps right around them, restraining them without
any force necessary. And there's no getting out
of this bad boy, either, once it's got you, it's got you tight. Which makes it the perfect tool
to snare a fleeing suspect. But if it's so great, how
come you've never heard of it? Well, despite being used in over 600 law enforcement
agencies across the U.S., it's still relatively new technology. And I reckon I'm all for it. I mean, it's gotta beat
using actual guns, right? Now, all we need is for the
cops to dress like Spidey. Or even better, spec ops forces too. You just got stung! Cops aren't the only
ones that can be sneaky, criminals can be just as sneaky too. So sometimes, the police have to get real inventive to catch them. Cue, the sting operation. You've probably heard of it, but do you know what it actually means? Typically, stings involve
a cop going undercover and deceiving a suspect, often by posing as a partner in crime. That way, they can gain
the suspect's trust and gather evidence
right under their noses. Super sneaky. And when enough evidence
has been collected to put the criminal behind
bars, bang, away they go. In a particularly wild
sting from back in 2012, a young police officer called Alex Salinas posed as a student in a
Californian high school. Police knew a group of pupils were selling illegal
contraband in the school, and it was Alex's job to find out who. So, he joined the school under a fake name and acted like any other student, attending class, watching football games, and even completing homework assignments. But little did his classmates know, he was actually spying
on them the whole time. If you've ever seen "21 Jump Street," you might find that premise familiar. Eight months after joining the school, Alex had got enough evidence
to arrest 14 people in total, and the mission was a roaring success. Man, imagine graduating from
high school and getting a job, only to find yourself
back doing assignments only a few years later. Sounds like a raw deal to me. Phony phrasing. If I was told to do something
by a police officer, you can be damn sure I'd do it, I'd rather avoid jail, thanks. But it turns out, sometimes you don't need to
comply with their demands. You see, the police use
language very carefully to trick you into doing what they say, even if you don't have to. Let's say you're driving down the road when a copper pulls you over and barks, "I'm going to need you to
let me search your vehicle." That sounds like an order, right? Well, it's actually not. Sure, the officer is saying
he needs to conduct a search, but he's not legally ordering
it, it just sounds like he is because of the way he's phrased it. Because police officers
are authority figures, we tend to feel compelled
to do as they say. But a lot of the time, you're actually well within
your rights to refuse them. So, if a police officer ever says, "Ma'am, I'm going to
need you to do the worm," you'll be relieved to know that
you can decline the request. Although I'm not gonna lie, I can do a pretty incredible worm. Playing dumb. Everyone is unique and
special in their own way, or at least, that's what my mom tells me. But undeniably, some people are, uh, a little less switched on than others, and the police know this all too well. So, sometimes, they'll employ a tricksy little interrogation tactic where they pretend to be less intelligent than they actually are. But what could that possibly achieve? Well, if a suspect thinks
the officer questioning them is shrewd, professional, and on the ball, they'll have their
guard up the whole time. But let's say the interrogator seems a little on the slow side, well, in that case, the
suspect is far more likely to let their guard down and be more careless than
they otherwise would have. And they might let slip an
important piece of information. According to retired New
Jersey cop David Ambrose, this trick works even better on affluent, successful people who are
quick to turn their noses up at someone they see as inferior. Unfortunately, if I was a police officer, I just wouldn't be able to pull it off. Like, come on, I'm way too clever. They'd never be fooled. Alrighty then, that's just about all
we've got time for today. Which one of those police tricks
did you find the sneakiest? Let me know down in the comments below, and thanks for watching. (upbeat music)
