I am being investigated for impersonating an officer.

[Legal122]

Texas

Here the story:

First I was a police officer two weeks ago and recently resigned, and was a cop in the city i am being investigated in. I was in a fast food line drive through when I see someone throw a lot of trash out their window who also was in line. I absolutely hate littering so I went and picked it up and gave it back to the woman.

This pissed her boyfriend off so as I was walking back to my truck he got outside and cussed me out and was acting aggressive. So I said exactly this, "I used to be a police officer" I then got back in my truck.
They started following me when I left so I did something very stupid and held a pair of handcuffs out the window for about 2 seconds before putting them back away.
I then left to go home, but a police car pulled me over because the woman had called the cops. I stopped and talked to both officers I knew. I told them what I just typed. The woman told the police that I said, "I am a cop." This is not true as I said, "I used to be a cop" in an attempt to get them to leave me alone.

Apparently the woman went to the police station and filed charges against me for impersonating a police officer. The officer I was talking to said that a report would be written and that it would be investigated.
It is a third degree felony, I may be charged with because of her testimony. I made sure the cop that took my testimony knew that I said "I used to be a cop".
Im a Texas resident.

§ 37.11. IMPERSONATING PUBLIC SERVANT. (a) A person commits an offense if he:
(1) impersonates a public servant with intent to induce another to submit to his pretended official authority or to rely on his pretended official acts; or

(2) knowingly purports to exercise any function of a public servant or of a public office, including that of a judge and court, and the position or office through which he purports to exercise a function of a public servant or public office has no lawful existence under the constitution or laws of this state or of the United States.

(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree.

 

[Zigner]

Thank you for sharing. If you did, in fact, "used to be a police officer" then you know better than to speak to the police. I would suggest that, from here on out, you only speak with your attorney about this matter.

With that said...

I believe that, based on the code section YOU posted, you are guilty of this offense.

 

[quincy]

Texas

Here the story:

First I was a police officer two weeks ago and recently resigned, and was a cop in the city i am being investigated in. I was in a fast food line drive through when I see someone throw a lot of trash out their window who also was in line. I absolutely hate littering so I went and picked it up and gave it back to the woman.

This pissed her boyfriend off so as I was walking back to my truck he got outside and cussed me out and was acting aggressive. So I said exactly this, "I used to be a police officer" I then got back in my truck.
They started following me when I left so I did something very stupid and held a pair of handcuffs out the window for about 2 seconds before putting them back away.
I then left to go home, but a police car pulled me over because the woman had called the cops. I stopped and talked to both officers I knew. I told them what I just typed. The woman told the police that I said, "I am a cop." This is not true as I said, "I used to be a cop" in an attempt to get them to leave me alone.

Apparently the woman went to the police station and filed charges against me for impersonating a police officer. The officer I was talking to said that a report would be written and that it would be investigated.
It is a third degree felony, I may be charged with because of her testimony. I made sure the cop that took my testimony knew that I said "I used to be a cop".
Im a Texas resident.

§ 37.11. IMPERSONATING PUBLIC SERVANT. (a) A person commits an offense if he:
(1) impersonates a public servant with intent to induce another to submit to his pretended official authority or to rely on his pretended official acts; or

(2) knowingly purports to exercise any function of a public servant or of a public office, including that of a judge and court, and the position or office through which he purports to exercise a function of a public servant or public office has no lawful existence under the constitution or laws of this state or of the United States.

(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree.

If you are charged with impersonating an officer, you should consult with an attorney in your area.

As a former officer, you should know that you should not speak with the police about an incident without your attorney present.

I suggest you remove the handcuffs from your vehicle.

Good luck.

 

[CdwJava]

Honestly, in a confrontation I have never known anyone to say, "I used to be a police officer." I would tend to believe that you said you WERE a police officer. Heck, I have known non-sworn employees (current and former) to make such a claim before.

However, if you said, "I am a police officer," then why did they go down to the police department to complain about someone claiming to be a police officer? Any inquiry should include asking why they came to the police department in the first place. If it was to complain about one of their officers and they discovered you USED to be one, then it makes sense. If they went there to report an impersonation, I'd be curious why they suspected you were lying if you said "I used to be a police officer."

 

[Legal122]

Honestly, in a confrontation I have never known anyone to say, "I used to be a police officer." I would tend to believe that you said you WERE a police officer. Heck, I have known non-sworn employees (current and former) to make such a claim before.

However, if you said, "I am a police officer," then why did they go down to the police department to complain about someone claiming to be a police officer? Any inquiry should include asking why they came to the police department in the first place. If it was to complain about one of their officers and they discovered you USED to be one, then it makes sense. If they went there to report an impersonation, I'd be curious why they suspected you were lying if you said "I used to be a police officer."

I said that because the man was coming towards me aggressively. They called the police and said that I said "I was a police officer." I in fact did not say I was a police officer because I stated "I used to be a police officer." They went to the department so an officer could take a report.

 

[CdwJava]

I said that because the man was coming towards me aggressively. They called the police and said that I said "I was a police officer." I in fact did not say I was a police officer because I stated "I used to be a police officer." They went to the department so an officer could take a report.

Take a report for ... impersonating an officer? If so, how did they know you were impersonating an officer and not an actual officer?

Or, taking a report about one of their officers being rude?

These are the questions I'd ask as part of the investigation.

 

[Legal122]

Take a report for ... impersonating an officer? If so, how did they know you were impersonating an officer and not an actual officer?

Or, taking a report about one of their officers being rude?

These are the questions I'd ask as part of the investigation.

Well maybe they thought I was an officer and was complaining. Though I was pulled over by an officer before I even left the parking lot, so they must have called the cops and said something to get them to come.

 

[quincy]

Perhaps the handcuffs had the couple a bit worried? Or the couple thought you had something else in your hand that you waved at them?

 

[Ladyback1]

Well maybe they thought I was an officer and was complaining. Though I was pulled over by an officer before I even left the parking lot, so they must have called the cops and said something to get them to come.

The above does not seem to jive with the below:

This pissed her boyfriend off so as I was walking back to my truck he got outside and cussed me out and was acting aggressive. So I said exactly this, "I used to be a police officer" I then got back in my truck.
They started following me when I left so I did something very stupid and held a pair of handcuffs out the window for about 2 seconds before putting them back away.
I then left to go home, but a police car pulled me over because the woman had called the cops. I stopped and talked to both officers I knew. I told them what I just typed. The woman told the police that I said, "I am a cop." This is not true as I said, "I used to be a cop" in an attempt to get them to leave me alone.

You instigated the confrontation. Next time? Just pick up the friggin' trash and throw it away. What in the blue hell did you hope to accomplish by "handing" it back to the person??
And truthfully? I have no problem imagining you saying "I'm a cop".

 

[Just Blue]

I said that because the man was coming towards me aggressively. They called the police and said that I said "I was a police officer." I in fact did not say I was a police officer because I stated "I used to be a police officer." They went to the department so an officer could take a report.

If you "used to be an officer"...Why did you dangle the cuffs out the window?

 

[tranquility]

A LONG time ago, as misspent youth, my buddies and I came up with a plan.

We filled up a 5 gallon pail with filled water balloons and went hunting.

Today, we'd have been terrorists or had the force of the law come down as a felony assault or something. I get it. I was wrong and would want such a person put in jail today, but it was over 35 years ago so I think we might just have to move on. (Praise to the theory of SOL.)

We splashed people by throwing through the gap of a $500 car with a sun roof.

At one point, we pulled over for cokes. We were "good" kids and generally followed the law and wanted nothing more than a refreshing beverage after the hard work of calibrating the trajectory of a water-filled object through space. When we pulled over, a pick-up truck containing a person that may have been the victim of my crime pulled up along side and the people jumped out.

Handcuffs were placed on the windshield (preventing we generally law abiding citizens from driving away) and all 5 of the group got out. One ran. The rest listened to the soaked adult (we were 16) tell us how he can put us away. The one who ran, went to the nearby shopping store and told the security guard our issue (he thought his buddies [us] were about to get our hats handed to us) and the guard called the police.

We had dispatched the handcuff guy with profound apologies and were upset with run-away-buddies call to the police. Yet, when the Po Po met with us, all they cared about was the fact guy put his handcuffs on the windshield. They thought that meant something and certainly searched for the fellow that evening.

The fine officer who interviewed us accepted, no, suggested, all we were doing was looking for a nighttime touch football game. Al the fellows agreed. "Yes, that is true. Football"

The bottom line is that, COPS HATE PEOPLE WHO PRETEND TO BE THEM.

It increases their risk and just generally pisses them off.

As the others have said, get an attorney. Nothing is going to be good for you here. Even if you are right in how things were done. Cops let me and my friends, who were obviously problematical, go, to deal with a person who put his handcuffs on a windshield. That was a long time ago, but I suspect it is the same today.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Unless you are a police officer, the handcuffs belong in the dungeon or bedroom.