Is a police officer legally obligated to be visible by motorists in order to issue a ticket or can he be hidden and catch unsuspecting motorists?
by 
Nigelsavoy
ANSWERS: 5
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There is no legal obligation that police be consipcuous in order to make any citation valid. Of course, they must be able to see sufficiently to identify the offender and/or stop the right car, but no, they don't have to be visible themselves. To illustrates both sides, there are "red light cameras" installed in many major intersections. Once a light turns red, anyone running the light is photographed by an automatic camera. They take amazingly clear pictures of the front license plate, rear plate, driver and the car clearly in the intersection after the light's turned red (not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything . . .). A citation is issued by mail based on the registered owner information through the Motor Vehicle Bureau. No officer is involved or visible. On the other hand, some police agencies know that the mere sight of a black & white police car alongside the road will make people slow down, thinking there's a radar speed trap going on. They will park a patrol car (sometimes complete with a mannequin wearing mirrored sunglasses) on a road notorious for speeding. It works - people slow down.
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You do not have to hide to catch motorists violating the law. there is no legal obligation, by the police, to do so. here's a thought....what about traffic enforcement from a helicopter. just because the police officer is 2,000 ft. above you, in a helicopter, is he hiding or is he visible?
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Would depend on what the laws are in particular states. In most states they can be hidden if they choose to be.
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Depends on where you are. Where I work, we can hid if we want, but it's usually not necessary. The only requirement in this state is if you're exclusively doing traffic enforcement, the vehicle has to be marked somehow.
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he probably hides so he can catch them
officegirl 
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