ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, Ark. (KTHV) - There is a fake cop on the run in eastern Arkansas. Authorities in St. Francis County said a man, posing as an officer, pulled over a Wynne teenager this past weekend.
The 17-year-old girl pulled over by this fake cop is OK. She managed to drive away and report the incident to the proper authorities, and that's exactly what police said is your best plan of attack in these types of cases.
It's an experience that we all dread when we see those flashing blue lights approaching from behind on the roads. You pull over for who you think is a cop, but authorities in St. Francis County are looking for a fake one.
"Whoever is doing this is up to no good, so we're very concerned about it," Sheriff Bobby May said.
Sheriff May is on high alert after reports said a man driving along Highway 1 near Forest City pulled over a 17-year-old driver last Saturday night, posing as a cop.
She got away OK, but the man allegedly approached her with an unmarked car, flashed blue lights, asked for her license, registration and insurance and had no badge.
"A lot of these fake guys, no badge, no ID card. They don't even look like a police officer," Lt. Carl Minden said.
Lt. Carl Minden with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office said these "fakes" may drive cars that resemble popular makes of police cars.
"An Impala, a Crown Victoria, a Charger, but they don't go to all the trouble to put all these decals in," Lt. Minden said.
They also won't have permanent lighting systems, either on top or built in.
"It's typically something that they can hide, these lights are installed, I can't take these lights off," Lt. Minden said, referring to the lights on his unmarked vehicle.
They are some things to look out for along with something that's OK to ask.
"No police officer should be offended that you asked them for your ID card," Lt. Minden said.
It's all notes for the road when those blue lights turn start coming your way.
Both Lt. Minden and Sheriff May said, if you can, the best thing to do is to drive away if you suspect you're dealing with a fake cop, and then get to a safe place to report it.
As for Pulaski County, Lt. Minden said he's not aware of any recent "fake cop" cases in the Little Rock area.