To be clear, these are people who stop their neighbors not to rob or assault them, which at least would be understandable motivations, but for the purpose of berating them and telling them to stay home.
I wish I could believe we’re living in Puppet Masters, but I’m increasingly more and more afraid these tin-pot Stazi officers are wholly human.
Several suspected police impersonators directed a driver into a roadblock in Greeley early Friday morning and questioned the driver about why she was out despite the state’s coronavirus stay-at-home order.
The woman told Greeley police that she was driving around 4:50 a.m. when she was stopped near 10th Street and Promontory Circle by a man in a dark uniform who was wearing a gas mask.
The man directed her into an area marked with traffic cones where three or four silver cars were parked, some with red and blue lights flashing in their dashboards, Cmdr. Rafael Gutierrez said Sunday. At least one car had a spotlight.
The woman said she saw multiple people wearing yellow traffic vests. In the roadblock, a man wearing a baton and pepper spray questioned the driver about why she was out, Gutierrez said.
“The individual asked to see her license, insurance and registration, and demanded explanation as to why she was violating COVID-19 law,” Gutierrez said. “He told the woman she could get charged with a violation for being out. And apparently he showed her something she thought looked like a ticket but it was never given to her.”
After about 10 minutes, the man let the woman leave, Gutierrez said. The woman told police she was the first of between five and seven cars to be directed into the roadblock. The woman did not see any badges or logos, Gutierrez said.
Greeley police did not conduct the roadblock, and officers checked with other law enforcement agencies, including the Weld County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado State Patrol, Gutierrez said. No agencies were conducting any sort of operation like what the woman described. Additionally, no law enforcement agency checked the woman’s name or license plate through official channels, he said.
“We’re doing what most other departments are doing and seeking voluntary compliance and doing education before we would resort to any type of enforcement,” Gutierrez said, adding that Greeley police have no plans to conduct such roadblocks.
“We are actively pursuing an investigation on this and hopefully we can figure out who they are and get an explanation for their actions, and if they are doing it for criminal reasons then we can pursue the appropriate charges against them,” he said.
Reports of police impersonation seem to be on the rise since the state’s stay-at-home order was issued last week. Gutierrez said he’d heard of at least one similar incident that occurred somewhere between Loveland, Greeley and Larimer County. Police in Aurora also reported a incident that happened on March 25.
Coronavirus Brings Out the Worst In France.
h/t SH