Catch us live on BlogTalkRadio every



Tuesday & Thursday at 6pm P.S.T.




Sunday, January 8, 2012

Oklahoma - Spotting a bogus cop

OFF THE WIRE
Danica Lawrence
 fox23.com
VIDEO - http://www.fox23.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=3150910

Three people have been arrested for impersonating law enforcement officers and fooling real officers into believing they were not bogus.  It happened Wednesday night, December 29th, 2011. 
The accused impersonators are Brian Garrison, Margie Williford and Gary Mooney. 
Every officer in the state of Oklahoma has identification cards on him or her and a badge.  The badge should clearly state where they work.  For example, a Tulsa officer’s badge would say Tulsa on the badge.  Or a Tulsa County deputy’s badge would say Tulsa County.  The fake officers’ badges did not specify where they work.  They also had no identification on them to prove they were real officers. 
However, through miscommunication between the McAlester police dispatch and the Pittsburg County dispatch, the bogus officers fooled both agencies into thinking they were real officers.  The act lasted several hours until one city police officer called the Pittsburg County Undersheriff, Richard Bedford, and asked specifically if he knew if a Brian Garrison worked for him and Bedford said he did not know Garrison.  That’s when all three impersonators were arrested. 
In order for an officer to prove he is a real officer he must provide two forms of identification.  The CLEET, Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training is an identification card that every officer and deputy in the state must have on them.  The commission card is another identification card that has a photo ID and a finger print of the agent.  It also has a hologram all over it with the Oklahoma State Seal. 
“You can also ask for the credentials which we all carry in the state of Oklahoma,” said Pittsburg County Undersheriff Richard Bedford.  “We carry that.  We carry a bond card from our agency.”
The fake cops admitted to the Undersheriff they purchased their badges and IDs online.  The Undersheriff admits there needed to be a more thorough check of their identities from the beginning. 
A local embroider, Beth Cox, said she is often asked to stitch logos for security companies or local organizations like the Tulsa Fire Department on different clothing items but if she doesn’t already know the person requesting the stitch, she asks for credentials proving they are who they say the are. 
“I just ask, who you are, where you are,” said Cox.  “If I don't know them, mostly by business is just word of mouth.”
She wasn’t shocked to hear about the bogus cops fooling real law enforcement.  She knows patches and badges can look very real.
“It's not surprising,” said Cox.  “You can get just about anything on the Internet.” 
Bedford is ready for the next person who is bold enough to try to fool him.
“That's what is so scary,” said Bedford.  “Especially for our community; we don't want any of our citizens to get hurt by citizens claiming to be law enforcement.”