Know this car? License S12 7618

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
May 23, 2013

As I was driving out of Woodstock this afternoon, I was passed by a speeding car. I was on Route 47 (Eastwood Ave.), heading south past Benoy Motors and crossing U.S. 14 on a green light. The speed limit is 35MPH, and you can see the 40MPH sign near Davis Road.

A black four-door Ford sedan, looking somewhat like an unmarked police car or perhaps a used unmarked police car, passed me at about 45MPH. The Illinois license plate was S12 7618. As I watched the car approach me from behind, it looked like an unmarked car. It might even have still had a pushbar on the front bumper.

Immediately after it passed me, the driver changed lanes abruptly to pass the car ahead in the inside lane on its right. And the driver accelerated to about 50MPH in the 40MPH zone.

For all his speed and hurrying, he was stopped at the red light at Route 176, when I pulled up as the second car behind him. I thought about reporting him to County or calling Huntley to see if they could nail him as he entered their town.

So I was left to wonder. Was the driver a cop in an unmarked car, driving as if he is above the law? Or was it a driver in a used police car who thought he might catch immunity, if an officer saw him pass. Or just a driver with a lead foot.

Anyone recognize the license plate number?

Route 47 in front of Harley-Davidson would be a great place for Woodstock Police to run radar. Hint, hint. It's time to break out the police motorcycles. An unmarked radar car could sit in front of the old Farm & Fleet, and a motor officer could grab speeders just south of the H-D dealership.

How about some zero-tolerance speed limit enforcement there?