The Ontario Provincial Police is concerned about the number of reports of citizens impersonating police. One occurred in Wellington County and another in Essex County where drivers were stopped by someone allegedly pretending to be a police officer. Earlier this month, an Ontario man driving a pick up truck equipped with police strobe lights, radio, and microphone was stopped and charged by police. OPP Regional Media Relations Coordinator Derek Rogers tells myFM that there is a level of anxiety that is happening since April 18th when a man dressed as an RCMP officer killed 22 people including a uniformed officer in Nova Scotia. He explains there are things that police can’t do at a traffic stop.
Rogers says the OPP have procedures in place to ensure proper disposal of old uniforms, equipment, and firearms so it doesn’t end up in the hands of an individual outside the force. He says there are steps that the public can take to ensure the person they are speaking to is an actual police constable.