Cop Impersonator Attempts to Steal Car
NBCDFW.com
Dallas police said they started seeing in increase in stolen equipment during the past year.
A Dallas woman said a police impersonator attempted to confiscate her car Monday morning, after telling her it was stolen.
Michelle Martinez heard a knock on her Oak Cliff home's front door and when she looked out the window she saw what looked like a Dallas police officer.
"He had a gun, uniform and badge, even the Dallas police sleeve patch looked real," she said.
She said the man told her to hand over the keys and title to her Monte Carlo.
"He tried to tell me it was stolen," Martinez said.
When she asked him for more identification he refused.
"I used to be a Dallas Police Explorer so I know they don't park in the driveway and they don't turn off the car,' Martinez said.
But that is exactly what the cop impersonator did and when she told him she was calling 911, he took off, she said.
"He was driving a Crown Vic, but you could see where the Dallas Police decals had been torn off," she said.
Investigators said they want to know where he got the uniform. They speculated that he may have bought the old cruiser at an auction.
"We need to identify him, we need to catch him and we need to put him in jail," said Sr. Cpl. Kevin Janse.
Posted Monday, Aug 24, 2009 - 5:45 PM CST
