Corpus Christi Police will now be able to patrol the city's streets in unmarked vehicles.

The City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance to exempt the department from requirements that city vehicles be inscribed with identifying lettering.

The ordinance, which was first read July 18, amends Chapter 43, Article 1 of the city's Code of Ordinances, according to City Council records. The amendment added Section 43-12, allowing city-owned vehicles to be exempt of inscription requirements.

Police Chief Mike Markle said the initiative to pass the ordinance was based on the number of traffic fatalities this year. As of July 24, there have been 21 traffic fatalities, Markle said.

"We're going to have cars on the freeway that look like normal cars," he said.

Texas Transportation Code §721.004 requires municipal owned vehicles to have the name of municipality, and the title of the department or office it belongs to in a color that is clearly visible at a distance of at least 100 feet. A governing body can allow an exemption of those requirements for certain vehicles, according to Texas Transportation Code §721.005.

The goal of having unmarked cars is to change the temperament of drivers on the roads so they drive safely. Markle said his hope is to stop the drivers going 100 mph on the freeway and drivers crossing three lanes quickly to get to an exit ramp and putting lives in jeopardy.

Markle already started an initiative to stop aggressive drivers by putting additional officers on the freeway.

"We don't really catch (aggressive drivers) because they don't drive that way when they see a marked car," Markle said.

In the first reading of the ordinance July 18, Councilwoman Debbie Lindsey Opel expressed concerns about police pulling someone over while driving unmarked cars, especially at night.

But Markle said for a period after unmarked cars are introduced, there will be marked units in the area to assist unmarked cars if a vehicle isn't pulling over.

Markle said many cities such have unmarked vehicles.

San Antonio Police Department has used unmarked vehicles for traffic enforcement for about eight years, said San Antonio police Sgt. Jesse Salame.

"We have different makes and models that don't look like police cars," Salame said. "Their mission is to look for aggressive drivers and issue citations."

In San Antonio, unmarked vehicles are equipped with a spotlight, lights and a siren, which is what Corpus Christi police plan to have in their vehicles.

Like Councilwoman Opel, some San Antonio residents expressed concerns about being pulled over by vehicles that are unmarked. Salame and Markle advise drivers to pull over in a well-lit or populated area if they feel uncomfortable.

San Antonio Police also issued several public service announcements to let people know about the vehicles.

Salame said all officers in unmarked vehicles are in full uniform, and once the lights and siren are activated, it is not difficult to tell that an officer is pulling you over.

The use of the vehicles in San Antonio has helped curb some traffic accidents, Salame said. And Markle's hope is that the use of the vehicles in Corpus Christi will do the same.