In downtown Atlanta, a Georgia man was arrested for impersonating a police officer after a real officer noticed that something about his uniform was off.
A duty-bound On August 13, an Atlanta Police officer was patrolling parking lots when he encountered a man who appeared to be an off-duty uniformed officer working security in a parking lot, according to a Facebook post from Atlanta Police.
According to the police department, the on-duty officer halted the man, inquired as to how late he was working and became suspicious. The on-duty officer observed that the man’s uniform was a little off, his body camera equipment was unusual, and he appeared nervous.
The on-duty officer notified his supervisors after initially suspecting this to be a simple issue of policy violations.
Two supervisors from the Atlanta Police Department responded to the parking lot and greeted the man there. In addition, they initially believed he was working an unauthorized off-duty position and was not wearing the proper uniform. However, the man’s tale was inconsistent, and neither of the veteran supervisors recognized him.
One of the supervisors examined the certification documents but could not locate the man’s name. The individual was then placed under arrest.
The individual stated that he applied for a position with the Atlanta Police Department a few years ago but failed the physical examination.
His equipment was comparable to but distinct from that of the Atlanta Police Department. The firearm was of a different model and caliber, and both the firearm and the magazines were empty. Body cameras were never issued to Atlanta Police Department officers.
The individual was charged with impersonating a police officer and taken to the Fulton County Jail, according to the police.
“The investigation into this man is far from over,” the police wrote on Facebook. “We will investigate whether he pretended to be a police officer in other situations or locations. Anyone who may have encountered this imposter officer is urged to notify us.”