A 15-year-old girl was waiting for the school bus Friday morning on a rural road near Lake City when a white four-door car pulled up beside her, its doors reading "Goodhue County Sheriff." The man inside appeared to be a deputy, and asked the girl if she wanted a ride.
"It struck her as odd," said Goodhue County Sheriff Dean Albers. "And that's why she reported it."
Odd, because the girl saw the car had black letters with no striping, just a partial bar of lights, and no antennas. And the man driving it was in a gray uniform without patches or a badge, not the beige one worn by Goodhue County deputies.
"We determined this was somebody impersonating an officer and possibly trying to abduct her," Albers said.
Authorities say that man may also be involved in two other Minnesota cases: Three weeks ago near Leroy in Mower County, a man of the same description used fake police lights to pull over a 17-year-old girl late one night on a rural road, demanding her driver's license, and forcing her to take a breathalyzer test before letting her go. Then on October 3, another young girl reported being stopped by a man, this time in Dodge County. Again, she wasn't harmed, but authorities fear it could happen.
"Even an adult could fall prey to this," Albers said. "So with a young child it could be real disconcerting."
Especially since authorities say impersonations are relatively common and easy, guessing that the man may have bought an old squad car and that he's using a portable light bar and removable lettering, all easily available.
"The patches that we wear, the badges, they're out there on the Internet," Albers said. Police paraphernalia, it's all out there."
There are no suspects in the three cases but investigators say they have some good leads.
Authorities call these impersonators red light bandits, and say if you think you're being stopped by one you should call 911 and ask the dispatcher to verify it's legitimate.
They say it's also okay if you drive to a public place before you stop, as long as you don't exceed the speed limit.
(Copyright 2007 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
