The 2014 movie Let's Be Cops depicts police officer impersonation as a hilarious, almost carefree folly that comes with no real consequences. In reality, though, impersonating a cop is a federal crime, and one that real law enforcement officers don't take lightly. The suspects involved in most police impersonation cases aren't doing it to get girlfriends or whatever was going on in Let's Be Cops. Their goals are far more sinister. Most cop impersonators pretend to be officers in order to commit other criminal activity and to perpetrate downright repugnant acts. These true crime stories of criminals posing as police officers will definitely not make you laugh. Instead, they'll probably leave you wondering whether or not the guy pulling you over is a total fake.
People Who Posed as Cops to Commit Horrible Crimes,
Fake Cop Murders Woman in Church
In April of 2016, a man dressed as a cop broke into Creekside Church of Christ in Texas, and murdered fitness trainer Missy Bevers. According to police, the assailant was wearing a black helmet, black gloves, and a vest marked "POLICE" when he forcibly entered the church and found Bevers. The man seemed to be looking for something, although whether it was the mother of three was unclear.
After reviewing surveillance video, Sargeant Nick Harp said, "“He certainly doesn’t display the characteristics of somebody who is trying to burglarize a place. He’s taking his time, walking slowly around.” Police are still looking for answers.
Man Posed as Officer in String of Nation-Wide Prank Calls
David Stewart of Fountain, Florida was accused — but ultimately acquitted — of making a prank call to a McDonald's in Mount Washington, Kentucky, where he claimed to be a police officer and wielded his "authority" in a sadistic game of manipulation. Three people were involved with the hoax — the restaurant's manager, her boyfriend, and an 18-year-old employee.
Stewart allegedly told the manager that the employee had stolen merchandise from the McDonald's, and instructed the manager to strip-search the employee. At some point during the phone call, the manager's boyfriend arrived to continue the strip search and, apparently at Stewart's insistence, forced the employee to perform oral sex on him. The entire ordeal lasted three and a half hours.
As there was no hard evidence to convict him, Stewart walked. The manger and her boyfriend, however, were convicted for their own roles in the crime, as the McDonald's surveillance footage provided more than enough evidence. It is believed Stewart made similar prank calls in Idaho, Oklahoma, and other locations, using pay phones and calling cards to cover his tracks. Whether or not Stewart was actuallyguilty, the crimes have apparently stopped since his arrest and trial.
Guy Essentially "Became" a Cop to Commit Crimes
Henry Terry's behavior sounds like that of a method actor preparing for a role as a police officer, only with goals far more sinister than an Oscar bid. Not only did Terry utilize realistic uniforms, handcuffs, and a car equipped with flashing sirens, he apparently also had his own fake police station. According to an Associated Press writer (via Fox News), Henry set up "a personal police station where he kept records of possible crimes and sometimes interrogated 'suspects' who were handcuffed to a chair."
One of Henry's motives for this elaborate ruse was robbery. He would extort cash from his "suspects" in exchange for their release. But his actions were far more extreme than this, and he was ultimately charged on numerous counts of rape and at least one count of extreme animal cruelty. According to the New York Daily News, Terry allegedly set a neighbor's cat on fire, then promised to "solve the crime."
Man Impersonated Cop to Get Out of Swapping Insurance
Mark Monterroso was arrested in Blanchar, OK on April 8, 2016 after a road rage incident, reported News 9 in Oklahoma City. The news team noted, "police said the victim of the incident tried to get Monterroso’s insurance information after, he said, Monterroso passed his car on the shoulder kicking up rocks that broke his windshield. That’s when Monterroso identified himself as an officer, and then apparently chased the victim with a baton." Blanchard police also suspect Monterroso in a series of other police impersonation incidents, whereby the accused had been targeting unaccompanied women.
Serial Killer May Have Posed as an Officer to Lure His Victims
William Suff, also known as the Riverside Prostitute Killer, was convicted of assaulting, mutilating, and murdering 12 sex workers between 1989 and 1991 (though police suspect he may have been responsible for up to 22 deaths in the area). Often times, his victims' bodies were discovered posed in lewd positions. Police know Suff lured women into his van, but it has often been rumored — though never confirmed — that he would impersonate a police officer to intimidate his victims into cooperation. He is currently awaiting execution in San Quentin State Prison in California.
A Career Cop Impersonator
In a perverse kind of way, you have to hand it to Jim Bailey of Oak Harbor, Washington: He successfully pretended to be a police officer for 25 years, even placing ads all around the state, offering his training and seminar services. Bailey was actually a reserve officer (basically a volunteer) for three years in the 1980s, but left to attend the police academy. He never graduated. Bailey's decades-long performance ended in 2014 when he effectively made a citizen's arrest, placing a man who had been fighting with his girlfriend in a headlock. His fatal step? Bailey told a passer-by to phone the police and tell them "an officer needs assistance."
Ice Cream-Loving Teen Cop Isn't Really a Cop
Unlike others on this list, Chance LaCasse's only crime was impersonating an officer — which is a serious felony, of course, but he didn't use his cop outfit to commit any other crimes. (And really, it's likely no one would have taken him seriously had he tried to intimidate them — just look at him!) No, LaCasse just really, REALLY wanted to join the police force. Prior to his arrest, his Instagram feed was festooned with photos of LaCasse dressed as a cop or a detective, even posing in a police vest or a cruiser. (The account has since been deleted, but you can see the photos reprinted here.) The teen was busted in 2015 after he strolled into a local King Kone ice cream parlor in full-on New Hampshire cop regalia, including a very real 9mm holstered to his belt. Poor kid.
Man Posed as Cop to Sexually Coerce Women
It's sadly a common narrative among police impersonation cases — a man posing as an authority figure to terrorize and abuse women. Brian Keith Cooper Jr. did just that in March of 2016, using a fake badge and a pair of handcuffs to lure women into his car, reported WBAL-TV. Cooper would then drive the women to the same dead-end street, where he would ask them, "What would you do to stay out of jail." Of course, Cooper had ideas of his own, and while at least one victim fell prey to his sexual misconduct, he was later caught in the act of another rape attempt and arrested.
Infamous Killer Ted Bundy Impersonated Cops and Other Authority Figures
If you're so inclined, reading about Ted Bundy and his crimes is a veritable rabbit hole of the gruesome and macabre. In addition to feigning injury, Bundy loved to impersonate authority figures as a means of intimidating and coercing his victims. This included posing as police officers, as he did when he abducted Carol DaRonch in 1974.
Bundy identified himself as "Officer Roseland" and told DaRonch he was responding to a report her car had been broken into, and asked if she would accompany him to the station. She initially trusted Bundy, who was said to be quite charming and persuasive. However, DaRonch soon realized Bundy was not a real police officer, and when she attempted to flee his car, he slapped a pair of handcuffs on her. Luckily, Bundy only managed to manacle one of DaRonch's wrists, and she narrowly escaped one of the most notorious serial killers in history.
Fake Cop Pulled Over Real Cop
Non-cop Robert Montoya attempted to pull over a car with his Chevy Impala, which he'd equipped with a siren, laptop and a police scanner. Looks can be deceiving, of course, as Montoya was in no way a police officer. The real police caught on to this cop impersonator when Montoya attempted to pull over an undercover officer in an unmarked vehicle. Weirdly though, due to the Nuisance Abatement Law in Colorado, it was required that Montoya's Impala be "shredded to pieces," according to Christine Noel of KUSA. This destruction of the offending vehicle is apparently intended to ensure citizens that this particular car will never torment them again, but it sounds a little bit more like a big "F.U." to anyone claiming to be a cop.