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Alberta driver arrested for allegedly making fake traffic stop

RCMP took an 18-year old into custody this past weekend

It is infuriating to type the following words after last year’s attack in Nova Scotia, but another person in this country has been arrested for allegedly impersonating a police officer.

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According to a report by the CBC , officials in the Grande Prairie, Alberta, area collared an 18-year old individual after responding to a call complaining about someone apparently attempting to pass themselves off as a member of the gendarmes. RCMP were notified around 9:45pm local time Friday evening of an ‘older’ Ford Explorer flashing red and blue LED lights at a vehicle in traffic.

The complainant went on to say after stopping roadside, the Explorer’s driver walked up alongside the vehicle and said it was all a joke. Even after driving away from the rogue stop, the accused is said to have followed the driver for ‘a short time’ before peeling off to a side street and heading north. Confounding matters, the complainant alleges the fake cop was wearing a shirt bearing some sort of police-style badge hanging from a gold chain.

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It has never been kosher to impersonate a cop, and even less so after the events in 2020 where nearly two dozen people were killed at the hands of a person who was dressed in RCMP clothing and driving a late-model Taurus stickered up to resemble a real cruiser. That event touched the lives of many in this neck of the woods, and your author can say with certainty there are more than a few people around here who — to this day — are stricken with panic when they see red-and-blues in their rearview mirror.

Remember, it is okay to ask identification from anyone claiming to be a police officer. Citizens can request an officer’s badge and police photo ID card, with the latter including a photo of the officer plus their name and badge number.

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