19 year old almost attacked by police impersonators

Good thing she called her boyfriend to get advice. Very well could have saved her life.

Continue driving and call 911. Proceed to a police station if possible. This is another variation of the bump and stop accidents folks have done in the past. Call 911 and retrieve your weapon. If you don't have a weapon, get one and learn how to use it.

The main issue with calling 911 is that people need to realize that the operator may not be able to determine right away if the "officer" is real or not. Many agencies overlap in jurisdictions, and a city dispatcher may not know if a county deputy or state officer/agent is trying to stop you. That's why they'll frequently tell you to stay on the line and possibly to keep moving, instead of being able to give you a quick answer. Still one of the two best things to do; the other being to keep moving in a safe and determined manner.

Call 911 and retrieve your weapon. If you don't have a weapon, get one and learn how to use it.

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During the incident? What if there's not a gun shop with a range and instructor available along the way?

If you are in this situation , you should call 911 , keep moving (not fast ) , proceed as directed by 911 . And always be armed ! Kevin

MedWheeler said:

The main issue with calling 911 is that people need to realize that the operator may not be able to determine right away if the "officer" is real or not. Many agencies overlap in jurisdictions, and a city dispatcher may not know if a county deputy or state officer/agent is trying to stop you. That's why they'll frequently tell you to stay on the line and possibly to keep moving, instead of being able to give you a quick answer. Still one of the two best things to do; the other being to keep moving in a safe and determined manner.



During the incident? What if there's not a gun shop with a range and instructor available along the way?

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Hmmm, sorry, didn't see the happy face, tongue in cheek I guess. But if you could pull into a gun shop with a bunch of redneck gun owners, that might be safer than the police department.

This happened to my friend.

Except that they turned out to be real cops driving an unmarked and "strangely lit" car. Luckily he didn't get shot as he thought he was being robbed and sped home, then jumped out of the car, ready to fight. In fact, it was some kind of case of mistaken identity and no charges were filled.

All in all, it is a very scary and serious situation either way. Gotta keep your head...

I'm a bit confused. Is the suggestion here to continue driving and call 911 EVERY time a cop tries pulling you over, just in case its not a real cop?

Bobson said:

I'm a bit confused. Is the suggestion here to continue driving and call 911 EVERY time a cop tries pulling you over, just in case its not a real cop?

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If you have a stream of state police in marked cars with a helicopter over head, it probably is a real cop, you can pull over. If it is the middle of the night with an unmarked car on a lonely road and you didn't do anything wrong, well, makes you think a bit.

Whether or not one calls 911, proceeding at a safe and sub-legal speed, with emergency flashers activated, make it difficult for a charge of fleeing or evading arrest to stick. Police impersonators cannot readily summon back-up units, so when multiple marked police cars start appearing, that is a fairly reliable indicator that it is time to stop.

An often-overlooked tactic to drive to the nearest known 24/7 police facility, which, of course, means prior familiarization is important. Do not count on the call-taker or dispatcher to be able to direct you, as they may not know, or may be too ignorant to know that you are about to pass near a police facility.

It is indeed true that a 911 operator may well have no direct contact with the dispatcher of the police unit trying to make a traffic stop. In my area, this has greatly improved, as the 911 operator will
usually transfer the call to the appropriate entity, but it is still not perfect. It is probably best to try
calling, however, as the conversation should be recorded, so there will, at least, be a record of your side of the incident.

Be sensible! A recent local high-speed pursuit involved a person who was on the line with a dispatch sergeant the whole time. The driver totally busted intersections, pursued by multiple marked units, and continued for quite a while, until crashing. Needless to say, he was charged!

Thank God she had a phone to call and that girl is safe.

The cell phone is the greatest person protection tool invented in the last hundred years.

Where I live calling 911 in a case like this won't work as the 911 operator covers 6 cities.