Why you should always ask police for foto ID ...

[Archangel M]

In my experience, the rare occurrence of the "average citizen" meeting an impersonator is during the fake traffic stop. The few impersonator home invasions Ive heard of in the area were on homes of people who were "up to" things and associating with people that made them targets (If you know what I mean). Not that its impossible for the "joe citizen" to fall victim to one.

The fear of this is similar to child abduction. It happens, but it is so statistically rare that it seems foolish to worry yourself inordinately over it. The odds of being killed in a crash on the way to the store are infinitely higher but we get behind the wheel without panicking.

The lesson of these situations is to be alert, educated and aware. Most of these impersonator situations involved people giving way to perceived authority even though something "didnt seem right". Id be willing to wager that some of these home invasions would have opened up to a person in a clown suit if they said they were the police while they were knocking at the door. Simple common sense and reasonable procedure..Thats the real lesson to be learned here. Not to distrust every person in uniform.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Shoulda knocked.
Anyway, I'm in NY. I can't afford to have a gun here.
It only gives the guy breaking in trying to rob me something else to sue me over in court later.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Don't be wrong. There are many people serving long sentences for shooting cops during no-knock raids.

[shill type=unpaid]

www.surefire.com

Identify your target. And blind them while you're at it.

 

[Archangel M]

Some tips I would give on how to spot a fake cop:

1. Look for multiple forms of lighting. While unmarked cars do exist, by far most car stops will be made by a marked unit. Most impersonators are not going to drive around in a fully marked police car. At night there could/should be the red/blue overhead lights, lights in the grill, alternating headlights, a spot light from the drivers side door and a bright white light from the center of the light bar called a "takedown light". If the car is a beat up junker with only grill or alternating lights that should start your spider senses tingling.

2. While uniform items are available commercially, a close inspection of most of these fake cops will give you the impression that something is just not right. Look at the "whole picture" instead of just one item. A guy with a duty belt but no gun is odd. A guy with a vest but no belt is odd. No radio...odd. Badge but nothing else..odd. This is one reason why I like my depts uniform. We wear all sorts of hardware like medals, badges, name plates, rank insignia. It makes it harder and more expensive to impersonate us. Ive always been against the trend to simplify uniforms to t-shirts, ball caps and polo-shirts unless its for special units like bike or segway patrol.

3. Look for odd behavior. A police impersonation often involves unusual requests or the impersonator behaving in strange ways. Look for any kind of unusual behavior on the part of the alleged officer. Especially after you ask for ID or another officer in a marked car.

4. Use your head. If you were obviously not violating a vehicle and traffic law thats one thing. If you blew 2 red lights doing 90 MPH while smoking a joint then the guy stopping you is probably not a fake. There can be plenty of other reasons for getting stopped though so this is just a guideline. A plainclothes detective in an unmarked car is probably not going to pull you over for a tail-light out.

5. Trust your instincts. Rather than doubt that every cop in uniform is a fake and go from there, listen to that little voice that says "something just isnt right here" then go from there. Ask questions, ask for ID, ask for another cop, call 911.

6. Dont use the "I dont think you are a real cop" excuse just to be a jerk or simply to make the cops job harder because you have "issues" with the police. That happens too.

 

[Empty Hands]

[shill type=unpaid]

www.surefire.com

Identify your target. And blind them while you're at it.

Awesome. Time for me to play out my Cyclops from X-Men fantasies.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Someone at your door and attempting to gain entry, especially at odd hours, is definitely an emergency. Don't hesitate to call 911.

JKS,

While I agree in theory please try to follow me on this.

911 How may I help you.

Yes, this is Rich Parsons, I am at (* Insert home address at that time *), and I have the ex-wife and her boyfriend here threatening to kill me.

911: What is your name?

Me: Rich Parsons

911: Where are you?

Me: home address slowly.

911: What is your name?

Me: I told you it is ...

911: Where are you at?

Me: I told you I am ...

911: Sir, this is a flase call. If you keep calling I will be forced to send out a police officer to talk to you.

Me: Please send an officer out now. I would love to talk to him.

911: Sir, he would come out in a couple of days. Bye. *Click*


**** More yelling through the door be ex's boyfriend ****

I call 911 back in a few minutes after she finds her garage door opener she never returned. * Note: I could not change the locks or the code as she still had rights to the house as the divorce was not final, and she still had items in the house. *

911 How can I help you?

Yes, I jsut called you.

911: Yes I see that, and I am dispatching a report for that officer to come out and talk to you later this week.

Me: Well, tell him if the door is locked to break it in as I will be dead. Her boyfriend is pulling something long out of the back of his truck, she has the garage door open, and is now trying to come into the house.

911: Do not let her or him into the house.

Me: How do I do that when she has opened the garage door and is now unlocking the house door to the garage?

911: I am talking to the *local* police and they are dispatching an officer. I do not know what to tell you.

Me: I wish you would have done this when I called the first time, so they would have been here already.

*** Me running out the back door with the phone. I did not have a cell phone and I had made both calls from the protable for the house. ***

The story of the officer showing up is another issue and what happened then.


Other times when ever I have had to call 911, I have gotten similar responses of them not being able to take data down.

But if I think someone ran out and ran into my vehicle and I call 911 as I am getting out. I then realize it was a kid who through an egg at my vehicle. I hung up before connection was made. They called me back, and asked if I was ok. They stated they had an officer headed to the area coudl I give her directions. I explained why I hung up and that I would be looking for a car wash.

Other times I called local Police and got a much better response.

Dispatch: How can I help you?

Me: I need your help, there is a fight, ... , .

Much better response time in general. There are always exceptions.


So, from my experience, 911 while is the trained systems repsonse does not work well in my area. It plan sucks. So, I mentioned what I did, to give options to people, such as myself who have nothing but poor service or luck.


I do not mean to argue with you, but it is frustrating to me. I get told to do something by the police, Then the next officer in the same department says somethign totally different.

I get officers telling me to mind my own business they know how to solve crimes. But after three years of them coming out at the same time each year, I handed back the card to an officer which was his card from two years before. This caught him off guard. I then explained what I thought was happening and guess what I was right. Not every cilvilian is an idiot.


When my Lawyer followed up with the 911 organization, as he got copies of the tapes for me, to help me get a PPO, they said no "man" would call 911. He would just wait with a baseball bat or gun and take care of business. This came from the management of 911 in repsonse to what the 911 dispatch officer believed as well.


Thanks - No disrespect meant to you as an officer or to Mike for 911 service but my personal experience sucks. I know it must be me. I know it must be my fault. I must do something to have made that 911 officer believe that of me. I know it is my fault.


I apologize for the off topic issue, but ti kind of fits, but then again I am sure I will be told it does not.

 

[jks9199]

Rich,
I have no control over irresponsible or unprofessional behavior at a 911 center (and I would consider accusing anyone of making a false report under the situation you described as both unprofessional and irresponsible), or the job performance of the officers you have encountered. The best advice I can give is that if you are aware that the 911 center in your area is so unreliable, then you should also know how to contact the police directly. Perhaps you'll note that I have, on many occasions, encouraged people to learn whether they are on a 911 system at all, and enough about how it works to know whether they may be better served by calling directly to the local police. We cannot tell you to call a number other than 911 as an "emergency number"; I don't know if this is state or federal -- but we had to remark our entire fleet not too long ago. That said -- if you know the direct number to the PD where I work and you are in the jurisdiction, and you don't need fire or EMS response, you are better off calling us directly; you'll save a few minutes because 911 in my area goes to a county-wide dispatch center. If it's not a fire/EMS call, it's routed to the appropriate local PD or the county PD dispatchers.

However, the essence of what I said remains: a person trying to gain entrance to your home with neither permission nor authority does constitute an emergency, and appropriate calls should be made, as well as other appropriate steps taken. If it's a legitimate effort by law enforcement or some other official entity -- whoever is taking that emergency call should be able to determine this and inform you of it. If it's not -- then they should be sending appropriate people to deal with the problem. (And if they've forced entry with neither authority nor permission... to help you deal with the situation.)

 

[sgtmac_46]

... and be sure your entrances are well-lit. With plainclothes officers making drug and gang busts, if people in black vests and caps, polo shirts and kakhi pants come to your door in the wee hours claiming to be police and shout and urge you to let them in, you might be injured, robbed or worse.



FULL ARTICLE

This is the kind of thing that happened to a friend of mine in college, only it was much, much worse.

My family plan - welcome to suggestion for improvement:

First, there is no reason for police to come to my door at 3 am. We harbor no criminals, we do no drugs, we are law-abiding citizens. Hence, one adult will be at the door, the children in their assigned locations, another adult on the phone with 911.

Officers will be asked to show foto ID for their department, display their badge so I may read the number - through the peep hole. They will be told we are verifying their authenticity and purpose through 911 before we open the door and that we will fully cooperate with officers of the law.

If there is an evacuation or other emergency, 911 can verify that. If they are down, we will have to make a judgement call.

It's good in theory.....but in the article you posted the home invaders didn't request entry, they forced entry violently. Asking for ID at that point is a moot point. There is only two choices, and very little time to make that choice......

1) Submit and hope for the best.

2) Prepare to repel BOARDERS!!!

I don't have a recommendation for which one is best, as it's pure luck figuring out whether you've got Law Enforcement with the wrong house or Violent Home Invaders.

This is why I do not like No-Knock search warrants.

 

[sgtmac_46]

Don't be wrong. There are many people serving long sentences for shooting cops during no-knock raids.

And many people dead after being the victim of home invaders.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me.../fatal_home_invasion.html?cxntlid=inform_artr
http://lapdblog.typepad.com/lapd_blog/2007/01/home_invaders_k.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E04E0D61330E333A2575BC1A9649D94669ED7CF


I despise no-knock warrants as a general rule, having served some myself. I see no real purpose in the vast majority of cases they are granted.....they should be EXTRAORDINARY cases only, and the agencies involved should require a MUCH HIGHER standard of care in executing them as a rule.

In most cases, the standard Knock and Announce should be sufficient.