Impersonating A Police Officer

Sometimes police work involves pretending not to be a cop. A driver will weave in and out of lanes of traffic, passing an unassuming looking black car, and suddenly the black car will flash its blue lights and sound its siren. Someone will exchange text messages with you and agree to buy drugs. You will agree on a place to meet, and the person will look normal, but once you hand over the drugs, the buyer will flash a police badge. It is perfectly legal for police to do these things, but is the opposite true? You can pretend not to be a cop if you are, but can you pretend to be a cop if you are not? In some situations, it is illegal to impersonate a law enforcement officer or other public servant, such as a postal worker. Criminal charges for false impersonation only apply if you were attempting to perform the official duties of the office you were impersonating; simply wearing clothes that look like a police uniform usually does not count as a crime. If you are facing criminal charges for impersonating a police officer or other public official, contact a Tampa criminal defense lawyer.

Are All Those Trick or Treaters Dressed as Cops Breaking the Law?

You can get criminal charges for impersonating a police officer if, by pretending that you are a police officer, you try to do police work for which you have not been hired or you try to commit a crime. The following actions can count as pretending to be a police officer:

• Wearing a uniform bearing a police department logo
• Wearing a police badge or displaying one when someone asks why you are doing what you are doing
• Riding in a vehicle modified to look like a police vehicle

Wearing a police uniform is not a crime if you make no attempt to do things that only police officers are authorized to do. For example, you are not breaking the law if you wear a police uniform to a costume party. You can get misdemeanor charges for false impersonation if, while pretending to be an officer, you attempt to perform police work, such as directing traffic at a four-way stop or questioning a suspected shoplifter.

Impersonating a police officer is a felony if the purpose of the deception is to help you perpetrate another crime. For example, felony charges apply if you flash the blue lights of your fake police cruiser to pull another car over. You flash your badge and search the car and find a stash of drugs. You promise to let the driver go and not file charges if the driver lets you keep the drugs. If you do these things, you are guilty not only of impersonating a law enforcement officer, but also of drug possession with intent to deliver.

Contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Bryant Scriven

A criminal defense lawyer can help you get justice if you are facing criminal charges for illegally impersonating a police officer.  Contact Scriven Law in Tampa, Florida to schedule a consultation.

Source:

miaminewtimes.com/news/ex-miami-dade-officer-of-the-year-arrested-for-cosplaying-as-cop-40490328/