If you are charged with Impersonating a Police / Peace Officer in Weld County, you need a criminal defense attorney to explain the court system. Impersonating a Police Officer may seem like a prank or something to do to give someone a scare, but it can result in felony criminal charges. With the recent “stay at home order” due to COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase of reports of fake police impersonators pulling people over for “compliance checks.” In Fort Collins a woman was pulled over by an unmarked car, a man dressed in a police uniform asked her for her information and stated he was doing a “stay at home order compliance check.” After finding out that police were not doing these checks, she reported the incident.
What is Impersonating a Police Officer in Greeley, Colorado?
Impersonating a Police Officer in Greeley, Colorado is defined by C.R.S. 18-8-11:
In the news story above, the person who pulled over the woman could be charged with impersonating a peace officer and charged with a felony because he pulled her over and asked for her paperwork.
In Weld County What is the definition of a Peace Officer?
In Weld County a Police Officer is defined as someone in or out of uniform who identifies themselves by showing their credentials as a police officer. Because a police officer does not need to be in uniform, an alleged offender could be someone who just talks and acts as an officer – they do not necessarily need to be dressed as one.
What Instances of Impersonation are Illegal?
Common instances of impersonating a police officer could be dressing as a policeman or policewoman, presenting a fake police badge, pulling over a car with red and blue lights, or directing traffic while suggesting you are a peace officer, or verbally indicating to others that you or another person are a police officer. All of these steps are must be followed by an act, so you could legally dress as an officer without trouble, but if you act in any way to mislead another person that you are an officer, then that is when legal trouble starts.
What is the Sentence for Impersonating a Police / Peace Officer in Weld County?
In Weld County, Impersonating a Peace Officer is a Class 6 felony. Penalties for the offense include 12 to 18 months in jail, a fine of $1,000 – $100,000, and mandatory parole period of one year. Relationships between police and citizens need to be one of trust, so the law has elevated this offense a felony.