By Marc Schollett
Thursday, March 05, 2009 at 8:19 p.m.
Read more: Local, Fact, Finder, Operation Yellow Jacket, Hoax, Tickets, Speeding, Snow Plow, Marc, Schollett, Fact Finder
It looks official with tons of statistics, locations, and numbers. It's pretty easy to believe if it showed up in your email inbox that who ever wrote it is trying to save you from getting a speeding ticket. But it those details that had some of our viewers wondering if it's for real.
The answer to that question is the subject of this Fact Finder.
Lt. Bill Elliot with the Michigan State Police says "I think that is what makes it sound somewhat legitimate."
Oh it does sound real. As in a real warning that you need to keep a close eye on the subject of this email because state troopers are trading in their cruisers for snowplows and are behind the wheel waiting to bust you for speeding.
The warning is coming in the form of an email chocked full of details. Its been making the rounds under the subject line "watch out" and here is why it says you should to do just that.
According to the email, which a ton of viewers have asked us to investigate, MDOT trucks are being driven by troopers. Its says the MDOT truck will drive behind you, pacing you. The email goes on to say the trucks have modified engines that "catapult the truck from snow plow speed to intercept speed in seconds" and before you know it you have been caught speeding!
The email even gives you a detailed list of all the zones these supercharged MDOT trucks will be cruising, just waiting to catch you red handed.
The email that many of you forwarded says its called Operation Yellow Jacket but State Troopers have a even more accurate term for it.
Lt. Elliot says "it's a hoax... this particular traffic initiative does not exist in the state of Michigan."
Yes, its a creative email, someone did their homework with the details and while such an operation exists, Elliot says "operation yellow jacket is taken from a traffic initiative related to construction zones in the state of Pennsylvania."
Its not happening here and as exciting as it may sound, troopers say there are no supercharged MDOT trucks.
Elliot says "our initiatives always include a uniformed officer, there are times when we will use an unmarked or semi marked car to patrol an area or sit on a intersection and have chase cars, but if you have contact with somebody its going to be a uniformed officer here in the state of Michigan."
Lt. Elliot says its not the first hoax he's seen about the state police, but he says this one sends a disturbing message, "The thing that is disappointing about this is that if talks about his being a revenue producing initiative that's the sole purpose to produce revenue that is not the purpose of any of our initiatives they are for safety slow people down or cautious intersections geared towards traffic safety near the more than anything else."
