Monroe County Sheriff Warns of Officer Imposters
A motorist in Monroe County was apparently pulled over by someone impersonating a law enforcement officer last weekend.
In a Facebook post, Monroe County Sheriff Joe Colston said a woman reported being pulled over on Highway 151 north of Madison last Saturday by an officer in an unmarked silver car with a light bar on top and no visible markings.
The woman pulled over reported she was approached by a man wearing a uniform similar to that of a Highway Patrolman but without a badge.
The woman was advised of various equipment violations on her vehicle and was told she needed to park her vehicle until the violations were fixed. She was asked to drive her vehicle into Madison. The officer followed her into Madison but no further.
The woman told authorities there were a number of things about the officer that indicated he was an imposter.
Sheriff Colston says if you find yourself in a similar situation and you have concerns, you can call 911 while you’re driving to confirm if the officer following you is who he says he is.
But, if you do delay pulling over, Colston wants people to see such a situation from the officer's point of view. "During traffic stops, our training is that when people attempt to prolong the stop, in other words they don't stop immediately, there are many things that could be happening, such as hiding a weapon, illegal substances, or preparing to do something to the officer. For these reasons, our officers are going to be on heightened alert. However, if you do call 911 to verify that it is an officer that's pulling you over they will be notified, which can mitigate some of this."