Fake cops try to abduct man outside store in Pasadena

[Paladin]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?secti ... id=4047970

"Fake cops try to abduct man outside store
Bizarre attack took place in broad daylight

(4/02/06 - KTRK/PASADENA, TX) - A couple of men posed as police officers and tried to kidnap a man in Pasadena.

It happened Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of a shopping center on Beltway 8 at Fairmont Parkway. An eyewitness told us two men wearing shirts bearing the word SWAT and caps that read 'State Police' pistol whipped a Best Buy assistant manager, then handcuffed him and tried to put him in a car.

"They had a white Crown Victoria," said one witness. "Then we noticed that it didn't look official and the victim was struggling and trying to get away."

The assistant manager fought so much that the two fake cops finally decided just to give up and leave. They took off in a white Crown Victoria that police later found out was stolen. The suspects are still on the loose.

The victim was taken to an area hospital. He will be alright.

Pasadena police urge anyone who is confronted by someone they suspect is impersonating an officer to call 911. "

[stevie_d_64]

Pasadena police urge anyone who is confronted by someone they suspect is impersonating an officer to call 911.

No kidding???

This kind of stuff is happening way too close to the Steve Compound...

I am always bothered by the ability and frequency of ordinary folks being able to buy those "used" vehicles (Crown Vic's) with the spotlights and other blade antenna features on them...

Not everyone I know is as observant as I am, but when I see one that is not marked with agency affiliation markings, I immediately key in on the plates...The goverment and LEO plates are easy to make out...So I let it go...But for some reason I have to wonder why those vehicles are sold with some of the equipment still on them like that...

And for the most part, some of the people driving them sport mullet haircuts for some reason...The whole mentality escapes me for why you need a vehicle that "looks" like a Law Enforcement vehicle...I know most have the engine in them, but they are so ragged out, it takes alot of money to get them to run consistantly...

Then the availability of tactical gear and other accessories some people wear really makes it questionable, even more...

I know this is a free country, and I choose not to go down the wannabe path at all, it doesn't even become a thought for me to consider...

But I know that I am a person that has nothing to hide, nor fear, because I do not break the law...

And have a couple of numbnuts come up to me dressed like that and pull something like what these guys did...

Its getting to a critical point, and I am concerned that I or someone else will have to make a rather brash and decisive decision...

I may have to have some personal conversations with some L.E. friends about this...I know how some of those drills work, and how they are supposed to identify themselves to people they are taking into custody...

But this brazen, and deceptive stuff really has me concerned...And its getting more frequent and closer to home these days...

I do know that agencies have a need to make money on their residual and cast off vehicles...But I really think those vehicles need to be rendered a little more non-LEO than just a paint job, and a licence plate swap...That would really help if there was a consistant standard to that effort...

I'm not sure what you could do to curb the retail (even if it was considered right to do) of LE type uniforms and tactical gear that masks from the untrained eye the effective means of determining if this is a "real" encounter, or one used to mask criminal intent...

I hope we get a lot of discussion on this thread...I feel this is important to get as many inputs as possible on this issue...

[nitrogen]

I blame police officers, that want to catch traffic violators, in plain, unmarked vehicles.
well, not the officers themselves, but agencies that do this.

I got stopped by one of these in a town outside of Phoenix once, and refused to get out or speak to the officer. the officer would not show me his badge, so I called 911. They dispatched a "regular" officer, who verified everything.

Needless to say, the officer that stopped me was irritated, and I got all sorts of tickets. Failure to stop for an officer, etc etc, in addition to the speeding ticket. Went to court and got everything but the speeding ticket dismissed, but it was HARSH. The judge was quite annoyed with teh original officer, but still.

Because of what happened to me, I think patrol in unmarked cars should be illegal; and I can see how someone could easily impersonate an officer. I can see on the web where I can buy the flashing lights to add to my car easily, I can buy realistic badges custom made, and I can buy all sorts of police gear. I could easily outfit myself to look like a police officer and do the same thing. The only thing I CAN'T get easily is a marked police car, unless I steal one.

Many years ago, my girlfriend-at-the-time almost fell for the fake police routine. Luckelly a REAL cop happened upon the scene.

[stevie_d_64]

I blame police officers, that want to catch traffic violators, in plain, unmarked vehicles.
well, not the officers themselves, but agencies that do this.

I got stopped by one of these in a town outside of Phoenix once, and refused to get out or speak to the officer. the officer would not show me his badge, so I called 911. They dispatched a "regular" officer, who verified everything.

Needless to say, the officer that stopped me was irritated, and I got all sorts of tickets. Failure to stop for an officer, etc etc, in addition to the speeding ticket. Went to court and got everything but the speeding ticket dismissed, but it was HARSH. The judge was quite annoyed with teh original officer, but still.

Because of what happened to me, I think patrol in unmarked cars should be illegal; and I can see how someone could easily impersonate an officer. I can see on the web where I can buy the flashing lights to add to my car easily, I can buy realistic badges custom made, and I can buy all sorts of police gear. I could easily outfit myself to look like a police officer and do the same thing. The only thing I CAN'T get easily is a marked police car, unless I steal one.

Many years ago, my girlfriend-at-the-time almost fell for the fake police routine. Luckelly a REAL cop happened upon the scene.

The guy they caught recently here in Houston fit this bill to a "T"...

He got the gear, the car, had it even marked up...

His excuse was he was advertising his "business"...

The background on this guy came back that he had a history of impersonations, and managed to wiggle his way out of convictions until recently...

It was all over the local news for a few days, and then did the traditional nosedive into memory oblivion...Almost never to be seen nor heard from again...

But we see these kinds of things almost everyday...And everyday it whittles away more and more the common sense on both sides of the issue, in that the personification and relationship between legitimate Law Enforcement and the people they serve more volitile and unpredictable...

And everybody suffers more for it...And for what?

Just so that some mullet-head wannabe can get the look and feel of being something they are not??? Where is the public outrage at this worsening breakdown of civility???

Sure we see the comedy in some of the aspects of this issue...

But when the first CHL, or Law Enforcement Officer gets shot and killed because of a misunderstanding...Will all of that apathetic history be so 20/20???

I go out of my way to get to know the guys and gals who patrol my nieghborhood, so I know generally who's who...

It certainly does not warrant any special consideration on their part if I screw up either, I don't ever expect it either...

I dunno, I have a lot of thoughts on this, and its hard to get it all down in a way everyone can see where I stand on this...

I think it is a very serious issue that eats away at a lot of the aspects of why we carry for lawful purposes, and makes it difficult to make the solution easier for everyone involved...

[GrillKing]

That's one reason I pay the $16.95 / month for OnStar on my wife's vehicle. If there is any doubt about who stops her, she presses the OnStar red emergency button, tells them her concern. While the person approaches, OnStar can verify in the background whether it's legite or not, let her know, record the conversation and have the real PD sent out if necessary. The OnStar folks know where she is within a few feet. Cheap peace of mind for me.

[Photoman]

What a mess! When does impersonating a police officer become impersonating a police officer?!

It seems all the rage nowdays to wear NYPD shirts or SWAT hats or jackets with all kinds of police looking markings. As far as I'm concerned, if those people aren't badged, they should be arrested for impersonating a police officer.

This issue is one big reason to ALWAYS have a functioning cell phone or other method of communication on board.

[VrRotate]

Looking at the plates is not a good way to tell. There are several agencies that run unmarked vehicles (Vic's and Impala's) That run regular state plates, not the exempt plates. Especially around the area where this occurred.

[charlie]

It's a shame when someone play police. It hurts everyone.


I have to dispose of sheriff patrol cars for county I work for. The law requires that we sell them by auction. Anyone can bid on them. There is no retriction on who can purchase. It gives the taxpayer a little something.

We use only Crown Vics because we want our cars to be rugged, reliable and last a long time under extreme use. We will not buy front wheel drive patrol cars.

When we auction them, we
remove the plates cut them and send them to Austin. We remove decals, lights bars, radios etc.

Generally the old cars are purchased by re-manufacturers who revamp them or part them out. There is a big business in revamping Crown Vics for resale to smaller police agencies or shipping them to foreign countries for police work.

Our cars usually have 200,000 to 300,000 miles on them, unless they have been wrecked. The remanufacturers replace engines, transmissions and replace what is required. This is normally a daunting task for the average yahoo who is not set up to do this.

Still, individuals buy them. Others agencies often sell their CVs at around
60-70,000 miles. They are often in pretty good shape.

Some people want them because they are a little different than the normal fleet CV. The police package has sturdier wheels, more cooling capacity, higher amp alternator, performance suspension and more HP.
Some buyers are attracted by these features. They may have bullet resistant door or other features.

Unfortunently, some buyers may be police wanna be's or unbalenced goofballs.

There's nothing to stop someone from buying a regular CV and accessorizing it to look like a plain package patrol car so they can play police.

Some of the DPS supervisors are driving front wheel drive Chrysler products that don't automatically screem "civil service car" when you see them. Other agencies are driving front whell drive GM products.

There are also some of the new Dodge rear wheel drive police package sedans now on the road. Watch out, they're fast!

Regards