By Steven Symes 
Outfitting any car with flashing lights, especially if it’s a Ford Taurus or something else police have commonly used, is a really bad idea. Yet police impersonators are a very real thing. These guys seem to believe they can get away with pulling motorists over, supposedly scaring them straight. But like this guy who was caught in Florida, when the real police find them, they’re not treated so kindly.
Watch an old beater Ford Taurus outrun a state trooper.
Thankfully, when the suspect in the video decided to turn on his flashing white and green lights, then pull over another driver, he did so in front of a marked Florida Wildlife Commission officer, an actual member of law enforcement.
Not only does this guy have the lights, which while not the color law enforcement uses is still confusing to motorists, his black Taurus wears black steel wheels with the polished hubcap, just like a real police cruiser. And there are yellow letters on the car, including “GSA Officer.” We’ll let attorneys weigh in here, but that’s not a good look, in our opinion.
At first the real officer thinks the traffic stop is legitimate, so the getup and lights are clearly convincing, even to a real cop at first. But as he pulls up to assist what he believes is a colleague, he quickly realizes what he’s really dealing with is an impersonator.
Just like in other cases we’ve seen, the guy in this video appears to be a security guard who’s decided to “help” a driver he thinks is in trouble. The Taurus is a former police cruiser, something many security companies buy for use in their duties. But pulling over people for supposed road violations isn’t something a security guard can legally do.
The guy talks real fast and tries claiming he didn’t pull over the other driver when the real cop arrives on the scene. He’s eventually arrested.After searching the Ford Taurus, police find this guy has a bulletproof vest, machete, handcuffs, dashcam, bodycam, baton, pepper spray, among other items.
If you drive a model vehicle commonly used by police, we’d advise you not to do anything which would even a little make others believe you are in fact a cop, especially pulling other drivers over. That’s especially true if you purchase a former police cruiser.
Image via Donny Rapture/YouTube