Some European police forces sometimes put cardboard officers and inflatable patrol cars at dangerous road spots, in order to slow the traffic down. Now, that's having priorities streight!

During my tenure in Baltimore, I know that the Maryland State Police used this tactic quite often by putting dummies in their cars (I know I am leaving myself wide open for a comment there!) and parking them along the I-95 corridor. This tactic does, however, have its drawbacks as evidenced by a case that I was told about where the same vehicle was allowed to sit in one place for a little too long. Troopers who finally responded to move the vehicle found that someone with a sense of humor (and a rather large set of balls) had slim-jimmed the door, put women's make-up and a dress on the dummy and left a dozen doughnuts on the passenger seat. I would have loved to have been there for that one!