Was that ICE or local police that pulled me over
A few nights ago, I was pulled over by an unmarked grey Ford pick up truck in Stuart, Florida, and then I pulled into the cracker Barrel parking lot and the officer got out of his truck and then the other officer got out of the other side of the truck and approached my car, and as soon as they reached the back of my car, they stopped and the officer said to the other, “let’s go and the officer said you’re free to go, sir have a good night.”
Looking back on that incident, I’m wondering if that was ICE or Stuart Police Department.
And the silly thing is is I have a rear dash cam that recorded the incident, but I never saved that footage in that footage was overwritten the next day.
so I’m wondering Based on what I told you if your best guess is if that was ice or Stuart Police Department…
ChatGPT 5.2 said:
Based on what you described, my best guess is that it was local law enforcement (Stuart Police / Martin County Sheriff / possibly FHP), not ICE—but you can’t know for sure from those details alone.
Why it sounds like local police
- Unmarked units pulling cars over for routine stops is common for city police, county sheriff, and state troopers (including in pickups/SUVs).
- The behavior you described—approach your car, pause at the rear, then immediately decide “let’s go / you’re free to go”—fits a normal traffic stop that got canceled (wrong vehicle, plate read issue, call got updated, officer recognized it wasn’t what they were looking for, etc.).
- ICE generally isn’t out doing random “traffic stop then release” interactions the way local police do. When ICE is doing enforcement, it’s usually targeted (specific person/vehicle) and tends to involve verification and detention, not a quick “have a good night” after walking up.
What could explain the “walk up then instantly leave” moment
A few very plausible local-police explanations:
- They realized you weren’t the vehicle they intended to stop (same color/model, partial plate match, etc.).
- Dispatch updated them (“wrong car,” “cancel stop,” “be advised,” etc.).
- They saw something at your rear (plate, tag, sticker) that quickly cleared the reason for the stop.
- They reassessed safety/priority and decided to disengage (another call, higher priority, etc.).
How to actually narrow it down (without the video)
If you want a real answer, the fastest path is to request the stop record:
- Call Stuart Police Department (non-emergency) and say:
“I believe I was stopped on [date/time] near [road], I pulled into the Cracker Barrel parking lot in Stuart. Can you tell me if an officer initiated a stop on my plate or if there’s a call-for-service entry?” - If they have nothing, call:
- Martin County Sheriff’s Office (they cover a lot of areas and run unmarked units)
- Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) for that area
- If you want it documented, you can make a public records request for:
- CAD (dispatch) entry
- Call-for-service log
- Any stop report tied to your plate (if one was generated)
(Even if they didn’t write a ticket, there may still be a dispatch log.)
What to do in the future if an unmarked vehicle tries to stop you
You did the smart thing by going to a well-lit public place. A good standard play:
- Slow down, signal, hazards on.
- Call 911 and say: “An unmarked vehicle is attempting a traffic stop; I’m heading to [public location]. Please confirm it’s law enforcement.”
- Keep doors locked, window cracked, and ask for ID / badge / supervisor if anything feels off.
Dash cam tip so this doesn’t get overwritten again
- Set the rear cam to auto-protect on hard braking / impact (G-sensor) and turn the sensitivity up a notch.
- Keep a bigger SD card (high-endurance) so you have more retention.
- Get in the habit: after anything weird, lock/protect the clip immediately (most cams have a “lock” button or voice prompt).
If you tell me roughly what road/highway it happened on and the time window (even “around 10–11pm”), I can tell you which agency is most likely to be working that exact corridor (SPD vs Martin County vs FHP) and what their unmarked fleets commonly look like.
You said:
Thank you so much for that information that was useful make a Pinterest style info graphic on this subject for my blog
You said:
That was useful, but now I’m curious if you would’ve come up with a different style of info graphic if I did not specifically request for a Pinterest style. if so, please make that original type as if I did not specifically ask for a Pinterest style
