cop candy

Any obviously visible or audible illegal addition to, defect in, or absence of equipment or identification that renders a vehicle an easy target for an officer of the law to legally make a traffic stop without the driver of the vehicle having actually made a moving violation. Examples of such are: burned out headlights/tail-lights, illegal lighting and other after-market flair afixed to the exterior of the vehicle, expired tags, or loud, defective exhuast. These types of traffic stops are usually done in the hope that they will lead to the officer running the driver's and/or other occupants' identification and finding that he/she isn't just a mere unfortunate motorist, or citizen with a flair for decorating one's possessions with shiny, spinny things, but that he/she actually has a darker side, hopefully manifesting itself in an outstanding warrant or two. Cop candy is considered most desirable when it comes in the form of underpriviledged minority youths.