My brother has been having trouble keeping up with his car payment and he put me down as a reference. Well last night at around 11:30PM a guy came and pretended that he was a detective and that he needed to ask about the identity theft of my brother. I believed him because my bro recently lost his wallet. I didn't even asked for any ID...(i know I should've). He had on basketball shorts, nikes, and a windbreaker that had "FRAUD INVESTIGATION DEPT" on it. So I called my bro and the guy asked him a bunch of questions about where he works, etc....Later that night my bro was coming home and the guy was waiting for him and asked him about the car he owed money on which wasn't with my bro at the time... Now this morning my brother called me and told me the guy was following him... What do you guys think? Is he allowed by law to pose as a police officer? BTW I live in CA.
2006-11-28 08:11:19 · 33 answers · asked by Konoha H 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
an update: When my bro tried to lose him when the "detective" was following him, the guy called him and told my bro "well i guess you realized i was following you" and so my brother told him that he didn't even know which PD he worked for and all he knows about him was his name and his phone # (which we checked and it was a bogus one btw). And the guy told him he was a detective for the Orange County Sheriff Dept....
And BTW "p_l_gray" , I was talking about the fact that he came under false pretense!!! Not the fact that my brother was having his car reposessed if he would have told us straight out that he was here for the car we would've turn it over to him with no problem!!!
2006-11-29 07:40:46 · update #1
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MAN!! Now I am MAD! Here he is your brother out working hard trying to get his life all organized and working hard and this JERK tries to take his car! thats sh_ty. I would call the cops ASAP I would call them tight now and tell them that some wanna Be is posing as a cop! Dont just call find a car that has (that is in the neighborhood) thats their jeristiction and they will get pissed and try to get this dude who is giving out lies on who he is! Tell your brother to keep that car under cover until he gets things straight out! He should be happy with you since you saved his car from the repo man !! he could have drove it home anf BAM GONE
2006-11-28 08:18:09 · answer #1 · answered by gallagher g 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋
By your description, it does not appear that this person was impersonating a police officer. If he never identified himself as such, and wore nothing that identified him as a police officer, then he was not doing that.
There is nothing, in the law that prevents someone from dressing in a uniform that MAY resemble that of an officer. Security guards, all over the world do that, every day. The "fraud Investigator" wind breaker is probably also legitimate, since that is what repo people are, up to the moment they tow away the vehicle.
These people, and others of that kind, who are doing their jobs cant help if other people mistake them for peace officers. Sometimes that mistake works in their favor.
You say he pretended to be a detective. He didn't have to pretend. He WAS a detective. He was a PRIVATE detective, doing his job.
The ID you, later, thought to ask of him would have identified him as exactly such.
It IS against the law, ANYWHERE, to impersonate a police officer. This guy was not breaking THAT law.
(basketball shorts and Nikes?)
2006-11-28 08:25:57 · answer #2 · answered by Vince M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he said that he is a detective, then he is not actually posing as a police officer. The police department is not the only agency that hires "detectives".
He could be a private detective. He could have been hired by a repo company as a fraud collection detective.
If he did not specifically say that he is a police officer then he is not posing as one.
It's funny though how you are trying to find blame in someone doing his job because your brother can't pay his bills. I love the "it's mine and I want it even if I can't pay for it" mentality.
What's even more hilarious is all of the answers above. Nobody seems to care that your brother isn't paying for the car he is driving. What is the bigger crime? You being legally tricked by this repo man to give up your brother, or grand theft....
hmmmmmm
2006-11-28 08:15:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
No, he cannot impersonate a police offer, it against the law. What your brother should do next time the guy is following him is to drive to a police station. Or he could also call the police when he is being followed and report that he is and has been being followed by a suspicious person. They will respond to where he's at. He should keep driving though and not stop until the police arrive.
2006-11-28 08:24:16 · answer #4 · answered by insd92104 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Impersonating an officer means to take identify yourself as an officer and then take an action typical of a police officer. If he didn't specifically tell you he was a police officer, deputy sheriff, federal agent, etc...it would be a difficult case. Just because someone wears a shirt or jacket that says something like that, please, ask for ID. Make them say they are a cop. Then I can put them away.
2006-11-28 09:29:48 · answer #5 · answered by spag 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just a few questions... "armed"? either he was or was not. a police baton is a weapon. this weapon can be lethal if you are hit in the head with it. do normal people in stable states of mind run around naked? tv is not real life, it may take several seconds, even minutes for someone to stop their actions from a gunshot. a lot of shots can be fired in a few seconds. you can be shot and still kill someone with a weapon you are holding. have you ever tried to subdue a man wielding a baton? maybe a naked, probably sweaty man? this makes me question your ability to be objective, thank god you are not on the jury. as if that wasn't enough, have you ever bothered to find out what brought the police there that night? how about anything that may have been said or done before the shooting. you just stay inside, watch your csi shows, and leave the policing to those of us that work in the real world, a world full of bad people that you would be too scared to deal with.
2016-03-13 00:15:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
did he actually say he was a police officer? if so, that would be illegal.
But if he just said things that may have made you think he was with the police, but never actually said "I'm a police officer", its not illegal. Private investigators and debt collectors use these kind of tactics all the time. They may be shady, but they are not illegal.
Just like Weatherman said,he could be a Private Detective - all that takes is a one week class. If he said he was a Detective, he's not lying. It may make you THINK he's with the police, but he never actually said he was.
2006-11-28 08:14:39 · answer #7 · answered by Kutekymmee 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
NO!
The impersonation of an officer of the law is not only misrepresentation it is also completely illegal. No one may pose as any lawful figure with out having the proper credentials. The repo man CAN however be accompanied by an officer.
2006-11-28 08:14:02 · answer #8 · answered by xxkittenluvxx143 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
First of all did he actually said he was a police officer? because there could all kinds of detectives. And if he actually said he was a police officer, its against the law to impersonate a police officer.
2006-11-28 08:19:16 · answer #9 · answered by Mrs.lady 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Impersonating a Peace officer is a felony. He could call the police on him. A legitimate Repo can call the police to help them impound the vehicle.
2006-11-28 08:13:48 · answer #10 · answered by Wyleeguy 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I don't think it's illegal to just say "I'm a dectective". Had he said that he was a detective with the police department, that would be different. Being a private detective is still a detective, it's an occupation, not a rank as with the police department.
2006-11-28 08:15:27 · answer #11 · answered by Athos 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋