A lady in Baldwin County, AL got really scared and shocked when some pretend officers began tailing her. Around 2 in the morning, she saw a vehicle following her along Wilcox Road. Initially, the white 2000 Chevrolet Suburban appeared to be just like a real police car. Its red, blue, and white lights flashed like those on actual police cars.
Fortunately, the keen observation skills of the woman in question saved the day for her as she noted that vehicles used by Baldwin County Police officers do not have red lights but this car did, which served as the first warning sign.
A quick second glance and she also observed that one of the headlights was out. This simply cemented her suspicion that she was being followed by police impersonators. She did the right thing by calling 911 and the dispatcher immediately sent a deputy to help her. She continued driving till the real police found her, which was the safest thing to do under the circumstances.
Unfortunately, the deputy could not nab the impersonators as he lost contact while they tried to follow and stop another driver going in the opposite direction.
What should you do in similar circumstances?
The incident prompted the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department to release a statement in a bid to protect citizens from police impersonators. Although on the surface this may not seem like an exceptionally serious crime, just a few months ago a 29 year old man was found handcuffed and murdered in his vehicle. The homicide remains unsolved at this time.
Captain Arthur clarified that calling 911 was always the safest thing to do. He also clarified that unmarked vehicles and cars used by detectives are never used for making traffic stops. If a driver is stopped, the officer will show his credentials when asked to do so.