Police Officer | Canva
Police Officer | Canva
City of Hickory issued the following announcement on October 21.
This morning, around 5:15 a.m., Hickory Police received a report of a person impersonating a law enforcement officer. The reporting person told police that the stop occurred between 3:00-3:30 a.m. on Hwy 321 in Hickory under the bridge before reaching James Oxygen Supply.
The person accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer is described as a white male in his 30’s, who is approximately 5 ft. 8 inches tall with a medium build. This person has a long beard which is dark in color and was wearing what appeared to be a law enforcement style uniform with a firearm and other law enforcement type equipment. No badge was present on this person's clothing or displayed during this incident. This person was operating an SUV type vehicle which was black in color. This vehicle did not have any law enforcement style markings on it, but was equipped with blue lights in its front windshield.
Anyone with information on the identity of this person, or has had a similar interaction with the person, is asked to contact Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551.
IF YOU FEEL UNSAFE DURING A STOP AND SUSPECT AN IMPERSONATOR:
Call your local department to see if there is an officer in the area conducting traffic stops before pulling over
Turn your vehicle's emergency flashers on and continue driving at a slower speed while attempting to pull over in a well-lit, populated area
Ask the person stopping you to provide you with photo ID and which department they work for
Pay attention to the person's clothing
Request another officer to respond to the traffic stop
Original source can be found here.