In Weld County, when facing an Impersonation of a Police or Peace Officer charge, you need to have a strong criminal defense attorney with a proven record and who can appear with you at your Weld County Court hearings. Impersonating a Police Officer is a felony if you are convicted. And, there are high fines, possible time in prison, and damage to your reputation. Remember, a charge is not a conviction. An attorney from The O’Malley Law Office can help keep your record clean. Below, we discuss Impersonating a Peace Officer. For questions about your specific case, call our office today.
#1 to Know: Definition of Impersonating a Police or Peace Officer, C.R.S. 18-8-112, in Greeley, Colorado Court
The definition of Impersonating a Police or Peace Officer, C.R.S. 18-8-112, in Greeley, Colorado is:
#2 to Know: In Weld County What is a Police or Peace Officer
A Police or Peace Officer, in Weld County, is defined as either a policeman or policewoman in uniform; or, if out of uniform, someone who has identified him or herself by exhibiting his or her credentials as a police or peace officer. This is important to note because a person accused of Impersonation of a Police Officer does not have to be dressed like a police / peace officer.
#3 Examples of Impersonation of a Peace or Police Officer in Greeley, Colorado
In Greeley, impersonation means to act like, pretend, represent that he or she is, or create the belief in another person that you are a police officer. Some examples that you could be charged with Impersonation of a Peace or Police Officer are:
- Dressing like or wearing a uniform of a peace officer, and pulling a car over
- Showing a badge or credentials of a police officer, and asking traditional investigative questions of another
- Verbally identifying yourself as a peace officer, and telling another person they’re under arrest
- Directing traffic or using red and blue lights to pull someone over as if you were a police officer
Remember, you must commit an act which a police officer does, in order to finalize the impersonation. A common question deals with this. The question is “if you dress up as a police officer for a party or Halloween, will you get arrested for Impersonating a Police Officer?” The answer is “no”. As long as you are only dressing up, it is not a crime. However, if you try to act in an official capacity, such as placing someone under arrest, then you could be charged with Impersonation of a Peace or Police Officer.
#4 Sentence and Punishment for Impersonating and Police Officer in Weld County
The sentence, in Weld County, for Impersonating a Peace Officer is a class 6 felony. Penalties for this crime can include 12 to 18 months in the Colorado Department of Corrections, a fine of $1,000 up to a maximum of $100,000, and mandatory parole period of one year. This is a severe punishment for what someone may have thought to be a joke. We have this penalty because people need to be able to trust law enforcement officers. Impersonating a Police Officer decreases that trust.
Bonus: What is Impersonating a Public Servant?
A person commits Impersonating a Public Servant if he falsely pretends to be a public servant other than a peace officer and performs any act in that pretended capacity. It appears that the sky is the limit on this crime. We found out that it does not even matter if the pretend office of the actor does not even exist. So if you pretend to be a cat inspector, and try to inspect a cat in that capacity, you could be charged!
If you or someone you love has been charged with Impersonating a Peace Officer, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and give us a call. The Greeley Police Department takes this crime seriously and are not there to help you when they start questioning you. Contact the best criminal defense lawyers from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009. Together, we can protect your future.
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