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Fake Cop Left Scene After Victim Admitted To Having Gun

BobCav

BobCav

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This one is just perfect!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18403289/


ThePittsburghChannel.Com
5:03 p.m. EDT April 30, 2007
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Police are searching for whoever is impersonating a police officer in Westmoreland County. State police said the fake officer pulled over a man on Route 30 in Hempfield Township early Saturday morning.

Police said the man, who said he was Jeannette police officer, had a siren in his car and asked the victim for his keys before driving away.

Police said the impersonator was driving a white, newer-model Chevy Suburban with tinted windows.

The man was described as white, in his 30s with light brown hair. He was wearing a tan shirt and jeans, police said.

According to police, the impersonator told the victim he was pulled over because he was driving erratically. He then asked the victim, a 39-year-old man from Westmoreland County, if he had a firearm in the car.

Police said the answer the victim gave might have saved him from serious harm.

"He told this person he had a weapon, had a permit to carry the weapon," said Jeanne Martin of the Pennsylvania State Police. "When the person heard that, they left the scene immediately."

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.
 
O

openryan

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Good story!

But this raises one question in my mind, what would happen if the man had pulled a gun on him, with him not being a legit officer and all.

Most people would not draw a firearm or fire for that matter at an officer.

Could have ended up in a bad situation many different ways.
 
ConditionThree

ConditionThree

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openryan wrote:
Good story!

But this raises one question in my mind, what would happen if the man had pulled a gun on him, with him not being a legit officer and all.

Most people would not draw a firearm or fire for that matter at an officer.

Could have ended up in a bad situation many different ways.
Click to expand...

What if youre a fake cop that either is unarmed or only armed with a fake gun, and encounter an armed citizen?

If you dont play it cool, you run away like a little school girl.

But youre right, if the criminal is playing 'cop', he could be armed and easily disarm his victim under the pretense that he is legitimate law enforcement checking serial numbers or other expected harassment.
 
L

LeagueOf1291

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openryan wrote:
Good story!

But this raises one question in my mind, what would happen if the man had pulled a gun on him, with him not being a legit officer and all.

Most people would not draw a firearm or fire for that matter at an officer.

Could have ended up in a bad situation many different ways.
Click to expand...
This exposes the problem with giving police the latitude to behave in a way that reasonable citizens should not.

A reasonable citizen should not draw a weapon on another citizen merely for admitting that he is carrying a weapon. Neither should a cop.
 
T

TEX1N

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This is one reason I believe their should be more standardized laws that officers have to meet before they can pull someone over. i.e. marked cars, uniform with a badge, etc.

Once I was in Front Royal and I saw a local cop in an unmarked blazer with only a dash light pull someone over. IMO that is just unprofessional and disrespectful to your citizens. Not to mention the opportunities it opens up to those who wish to impersonate the police.

It didn't sound like this guy was wearing a badge. I would think that would be the first thing I would look for.
 
J

joeroket

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I had an instance one time where I was not paying attention and numped the car in front of me. Both of us got out and the guy looked at me and said no damage no harm. All of a sudden this other guy come around the van I tapped and walks up to me and asks if I have a license. I looked at him and told him yea. He asked if he could see it and I told him no. He flashed his badge at me and said he was a cop. I knew he was at that point and gave the license to him but it just goes to show that unless they show ID then they should be treated no differently than any other average citizen.
 
HankT

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TEX1N wrote:
This is one reason I believe their should be more standardized laws that officers have to meet before they can pull someone over. i.e. marked cars, uniform with a badge, etc.
Click to expand...
This situation is one more reason that leads me to question why live LEO resources are used for traffic stops at all. This kind of stuff is better dealt with by using newer technology to do license checks and issue tickets/warnings. A face to face interaction is hardly necessary any more for those kinds of things.


TEX1N wrote:
It didn't sound like this guy was wearing a badge. I would think that would be the first thing I would look for.
Click to expand...
+1
 
T

tarzan1888

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BobCav wrote:
This one is just perfect!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18403289/


ThePittsburghChannel.Com
5:03 p.m. EDT April 30, 2007
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Police are searching for whoever is impersonating a police officer in Westmoreland County. State police said the fake officer pulled over a man on Route 30 in Hempfield Township early Saturday morning.

Police said the man, who said he was Jeannette police officer, had a siren in his car and asked the victim for his keys before driving away.

Police said the impersonator was driving a white, newer-model Chevy Suburban with tinted windows.

The man was described as white, in his 30s with light brown hair. He was wearing a tan shirt and jeans, police said.

According to police, the impersonator told the victim he was pulled over because he was driving erratically. He then asked the victim, a 39-year-old man from Westmoreland County, if he had a firearm in the car.

Police said the answer the victim gave might have saved him from serious harm.

"He told this person he had a weapon, had a permit to carry the weapon," said Jeanne Martin of the Pennsylvania State Police. "When the person heard that, they left the scene immediately."

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.
Click to expand...
This is a major testimony about armed citizens. The bad guys know that we are out there and they know that they don't want to mess with us. If this driver had said no, when asked if he had a gun,we would probably be reading his obituary.
 
Tess

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TEX1N wrote:
This is one reason I believe their should be more standardized laws that officers have to meet before they can pull someone over. i.e. marked cars, uniform with a badge, etc.

Once I was in Front Royal and I saw a local cop in an unmarked blazer with only a dash light pull someone over. IMO that is just unprofessional and disrespectful to your citizens. Not to mention the opportunities it opens up to those who wish to impersonate the police.

It didn't sound like this guy was wearing a badge. I would think that would be the first thing I would look for.
Click to expand...

Fairfax County police told me that to make a traffic stop from an unmarked car in Fairfax County (we were joking about their "unmarked" Crown Vics) the officer must be in uniform.

Is that the case anywhere else?
 
O

openryan

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Yes, that is the case here in Indiana as well, it can be a plain clothes officer in a marked car, or it could be an unmarked car, but then the officer must be in uniform to make the stop.
 
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