Police impersonation reports in Winnipeg and Brandon prompt warning

Reports ofmen impersonating police officers in Winnipeg and Brandon, Man., have prompted police to issue a warning and explain how real officers can prove who they are.

The Brandon Police Service said a 36-year-old man was arrested on Monday, after two people said they were stopped in separate incidents by two men claiming to beofficers.

Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Police Service says it has received similar reports over the last several days.

"We've had a number of reports where some individuals claimed they were undercover officers. It's apparent to us that they weren't," said Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Rob Carver.

"While undercover operations may be run by law enforcement both in Winnipeg and other jurisdictions, you would never identify an 'undercover officer.' The actual term would be plainclothes officer or detective; somebody who's not in a full Winnipeg Police Service uniform."

Brandon police said in a Thursday press release the two police services had determined the suspect in custody in Brandon was the same individual responsible for impersonating a police officer in Winnipeg.

Brandon police said the man they've arrested was to be transferred on Thursday to Winnipeg, where he's wanted on theft and extortion charges. No charges have been laid in the Brandon cases to date.

It's illegal to impersonate a police officer. The Criminal Code saysanyone who is convicted of the crimecan face up to five years in prison.

2 complaints in Brandon

A Brandon police spokesperson said officers are still searching for the second man in connection with the cases in that city, both reported Sunday night.

In the first incident, a woman said the men told her to get into their car so they could question her, but she didn't believe they were police officers and ran away.

In the second complaint, a man said the pair alleged he was speeding, then threatened to arrest him when he asked to see their police badges and identification.

"The above noted incidents did not involve Brandon Police Service members, and it was believed at the time to be subjects impersonating police officers," the service said in a news release.

Both of the Brandon complainants described the men as between 35 and 40, with heavy builds, driving a black or dark blue four-door Ford car.

Officers found a car matching that descriptionin the parking lot of a Braecrest Drive motel and on Monday morning and arrested the man. They said the man was under a court order in Thunder Bay, Ont., that required him to live there.

Brandon police are asking anyone in the city who may have been stopped by the two men on Sunday night to contact them.

Officers can show ID

Anyone who is approached by someone in an official capacity, including police officers, fundraising volunteers, meter readers or people doing surveys, should not hesitate toask for credentials or identification, Carver said.

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Carver said there are several ways municipalpolice officers identify themselves:

• All officers should be able to show their identification if asked, including their badges and warrant cards showing their names and regimental numbers.
• Plainclothes officers officers who are working but not wearing their full uniforms will have police badges affixed to their belts, in front of their sidearms.
• Police vehicles that are involved in traffic stops will have red and blue flashing lights mounted either on the roof or behind the front windshield near the rear-view mirror. Flashing white lights may also be mounted within the front grill.

Const. Rob Carver show you how to identify a real police officer

8 years ago

Duration 1:29

Winnipeg police are warning of people impersonating officers, while police in Brandon, Man., have arrested a 36-year-old man who allegedly claimed to be an undercover officer there.

"If someone's being arrested by our officers, we may not be able to produce that identification immediately at the time of arrest. We are prepared to show it; it may be after you have been arrested," Carver said.

"Our officers are also trained to typically announce "Police" when we're arresting somebody. We want it known we're police. We want to make sure that the individual hears it, other people hear it."

Carver said while they don't see cases of police impersonation in Winnipeg very often, they do appear from time to time.

"I don't want to get into the details of exactly why they were trying to do that, whether it's a bit of a joke or they think it's funny or it was part of something larger, but this happens regularly across the country," he said.