Instead of using stealth undercover surveillance trucks to catch criminals, Florida police have taken the more brazen route and dispatched a renovated armored bank truck problem neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale in hopes of scaring the would-be thieves and felons. In a more comical touch, they even tout the famed COPS television show theme song, with a sign reading 'Watcha gonna do when we come for you'.
Clearly marked: The Peacemaker is not meant to blend in, and by having such large signs, police hope it will stop criminals from taking action. Essentially the Peacemaker is the technologically advanced version of putting a security system sign in your front lawn: by simply parking the truck on the street, it will scare off criminals. They feel it has served as a deterrent for criminals and have seen a dramatic drop in home burglary rates.
The truck has been deployed throughout Fort Lauderdale since August, and has been used to prevent daytime burglaries, bust up gambling rings at juvenile football games, and now is being used to thwart alleged prostitution. I have an empty lot right there they can use! Upset: Tania Ouaknine, 60, has a pending charge against her saying she allows prostitution in her motel.
Now the Peacemaker is parked outside her motel and scaring off customers. While there are a number of enthusiastic neighbors, some business owners in the area say that the truck is scaring off customers as well. Tania Ouaknine, 60, owns the Parisian Motel on 23rd Avenue directly opposite the truck. Ms Ouaknine believes that she and her customers are being targeted by police because they believe she rents her room out to prostitutes, and she has pending charges against her.
Ouaknine is a Russian-born immigrant who has lived in Florida for five years since coming from California, and she said that the truck is hurting her business dramatically by intimidating her customers. While she would not go into the details of the charges of rent for prostitution that are being held against her, she said that the police are just overcompensating in a poor area.
