sketchy encounter with "cop"

[hatidua]

No flashing lights, no badge, opening a car door rather than knocking on window first.

Give the guy the benefit of the doubt? - are you nuts?!

[Squeeze]

Sounds like that alleged "cop" is more like a crap salesman with a mouthful of samples. As some have posted here already, he would've used a flashlight at night, most likely not opened the door, and called it in to dispatch some fashion or another. Also, many agencies now require officers to give you a business card after the interaction is complete. Also, very weird he pulled this stunt in plain clothes. Most cops I know & knew display their badge when making a contact in plain clothes. Most officers usually wear the badge on their belt in front of their firearm as well (when they do carry off-duty). Not saying this couldn't of been a police officer...just smells to much like something else.

[Ah Pook]

Call the local PD. Give a description of the man, what time it happened and a description of the "new" Camaro. Should be easy for them to confirm.

[josh7328]

Call the local PD. Give a description of the man, what time it happened and a description of the "new" Camaro. Should be easy for them to confirm.

+1. Call their non-emergency line. Even if it happened too long ago for them to do anything about, at least it puts it on their radar, and gives the department record that you called about it once before, should something happen with this again. I'd say with a good amount of certainty that this guy was NOT a cop. Glad nothing came of this.

[rustycrusty]

...wow...

don't EVER open the door of a car myself or my girlfriend is occupying if I don't know you. If he was in uniform I still think it would be weird.

IMO No cop in his right mind would do that. too many ways for it to go wrong for them.

yikes. creeper alert

[Chad4000]

couple points and a short story:

first off, yes very weird. the opening the car door thing was not cool. cops will always put on some sort of lights even if it's an undercover cop when they are making contact. (at least in my experience?)

every cop that I have ever encountered has been obvious in one way or another. if its under cover and you get pulled over, they walk up to you in a normal uniform. always lights etc. I would have called the station.


short story: I have this cul de sac (dead end with no houses around it) near my house and coming home the other night I pull in there to have a smoke before going home (read: wife doesnt like me smoking occasionaly lol)

so sitting there a cop pulls in behind me and starts questioning me. everything is kinda cool but he was asking if there was a problem at home and that I seemed distraught. just thought it was kinda weird, he was polite and said that it seemed like i was on the up and up and that it had been a crazy night.

marked car, flashlight, uniform etc. that seems like how the OP's interaction should have gone if the guy was really a cop.

[Danimal]

There was a creeper around my wife's work. Dressed like a douche, in his mid forties, an ear piercing etc... He was hitting on my wife and her co-workers (mostly 18-20 year old college students) and was waiting for them in the parking lots. He told one of them he was an off duty cop and was worried about their safety so he wanted to escort them to their cars after dark. Needless to say I lost my damn mind when my wife told me this. The girls filed complaints against him at her employer and I dropped my wife off and picked her up everyday for a couple weeks until the management could confront him, get his information and attempted to get a restraining order against him. Turns out he was a multiple felon with active warrants, but they never saw him again. The police had stake-outs there for a while but I don't think the dude ever turned up. No badge, no uniform, not standard police tactics, I would bet this guy was up to something. Probably just hitting on your girlfriend, but I would call around and see if you could track down if he is a cop or not.

[spyder]

I read the first page, and the last page so far so I don't know where this has gone... My first thought is, no cop would do that this day and age, and I think that all of the cops on the forum would agree. My second thought is that you need, not should, but need to call this in and report it. If there is some jack ass playing a cop, he's doing it for a reason, and it probably isn't a good one. The PD needs to be aware of this.

[StagLefty]

The PD needs to be aware of this.

I'll never understand why folks think the first thing to do is post on the internet ??

[Great-Kazoo]

I'll never understand why folks think the first thing to do is post on the internet ??

It's easier to realize you're stupid on the web than in person. We've all read where after bitten by a snake, attacked in the store, cut off whatever, does the OP dial 911? Nope, gets on line or "Sent from my mobile phone"