I was watching an episode of “Supernatural” where the two main characters pose as FBI agents (this happens nearly every episode with the running gag that they use rock star names to ID themselves) and the person they showed it to recognized them as fake IDs, albeit good fakes (in just this one episode…usually it works).
Obviously that is all fiction but it made me wonder; if some people show up at my door and flash a badge claiming to be law enforcement of some sort how am I to know those are legitimate identification?
I am not a paranoid person and I have no reason to think some random person would try that and would expect someone flashing ID to be legit but, then, that is what the con artist/bad guy is counting on.
So, real question, is there any reasonable way I can know what a real law enforcement/government inspector ID looks like if someone shows it to me or is it all to be taken on faith by the vast majority of the public? If I push back claiming I cannot recognize a real ID and tell them to go away will that work or will a court bust me for not acceding to a legitimate authority?
(Assume I have no other evidence like seeing them get out of a police car. Also, I am not looking to be contrary with law enforcement, just curious.)
In theory you’re suppose to get the badge numbers, call up whatever organization they work for and verify if those badge numbers are legit and if that person is working today.
There was a Redditor who was an FBI Special Agent who would write about his experiences and said occasionally there would be a local cop he had to interact with who would stonewall him until the cop was able to call the local FBI office himself and verify his identity.
Most legit badges have the name of the department on it, a raised state seal in the middle, the rank the officer/agent is claiming to be, and a number on it. YMMV by location and just because all of this is not on a badge does not mean the badge is not official. If the person is claiming to be a rank above officer/patrolman the badge is usually gold.
Police ID cards are usually issued by the individual agencies. There usually aren’t any holograms or embossed seals but once again, YMMV by location. The picture almost always has the person in uniform. Even detectives tend to have their uniform pic on their ID. But not always. Depends how they were dressed on picture day.
Look at the back of the ID. It should have at least something on it. “The person on this card is a sworn officer for such and such department, yadda yadda yadda” or “exempt from sales tax for duty related purchases” etc… If the back of the ID card is blank it’s suspect, but that does not mean it’s fake.
Even a legit officer in full uniform is required to have his/her agency ID on them while on duty and should willfully present it to you upon request. You do have the option to take reasonable steps to verify it. That is not an excuse, however, to resist arrest or obstruct an officer.
Thanks for the reply but this kind of highlights the problem.
Usually IDs are like “X” but not always.
As Joe Citizen I have no way to assess whether the sheriff badge or police badge or FBI badge or Homeland Security or what-have-you badge is a real badge.
Mind you, most times you will see one when you expect it (e.g. an accident or crime occurred nearby or within your acquaintances and likely you are aware of it). And I am sure 99.999% of the time they are legit.
I will say, in my (semi-ok as crime goes) neighborhood there was a rash of crimes committed by people posing as meter readers. They had bibs on and “IDs”. I never saw one…I don’t think (I did encounter a meter reader trying to get access to my building and I said no because I could not verify who she was…she was not pleased but this was right when all this was happening).
You have no way of knowing if a well made counterfeit bill is real either. Not on the spot, anyway. My point is, even if police badges and Id’s were uniform with certain security features, somewhere an articulate enough criminal will be able to duplicate it.
You usually can take reasonable measures to verify a badge and/or ID. But if you can’t try to observe some other giveaways.
Does the alleged officers uniform clothes look like they’ve been washed and worn several times or do they look crisp and new? Does the nylon/leather on his duty belt look worn or does it look new. An officer with any experience is going to show wear on his uniform and equipment. Is there a full array of equipment on his belt? OC spray, baton, glove pouch, baton ring/expandable baton, hand held radio, handcuff case? Is his radio squawking with dispatch calling other officers on calls? Does he have a name tag on his shirt, a whistle, department initials or chevrons on his collar?
An impersonator will miss some of these things. Where is his vehicle. what does that look like?
And the fact that it’s tough for ordinary folks to tell is part of the reason why impersonating a police officer is such a serious crime. The penalties need to be steep enough to act as a deterrent, even with the low chance of getting caught.
Of course, impersonating or legitimate, there’s a limit to what a police officer can do… legally. If they go beyond their legally allowed actions, that’s a clue that they are either fake or crooked. (Still hard to tell) I guess the next question is - how would you tell if a warrant is legit?
As for imitating the police on the road, you are at risk of passing real police who may spot the obvious flaws (wrong model of car, etc.). most of the cases I read about are cop-wannabees with some mental problems playing dress-up and not obvious dangerous people.
A cop I know told me once of a time when a road-raging driver actually pulled her over (when she was in her own personal vehicle) and flashed a fake badge at her. That did not go well for the other driver.
A legitimate ID should have the name of the agency on it. If it just has the person’s name and a title like “Special Investigator” it’s probably meaningless.
I’m reminded of an episode of The Dick van Dyke Show where an FBI agent comes to the Petrie house to ask if the FBI can use the house for a stakeout. The agent shows Rob his badge and Rob lets him in. Later in a private discussion in another room, Rob confesses to Laura that he didn’t get a good look at the badge, so they go back to the agent and ask see his badge again. Laura is rather embarrassed about it, and when the agent pulls out his wallet, she glances at it and says “ok, that’s fine”. The agent says, “No, that’s not my badge. Here it is.” and flips to another card in his wallet.
I think pkbites’s interesting and informative posts in this thread show that the answer is, “there’s no way to know if it’s legit”. Different agencies use different style badges, and there’s nothing in common between them. And expecting the average citizen to do a Sherlock Holmes type of analysis of the wear patterns on the officer’s belt, etc. seems pretty far-fetched.
I understand that, but the OP wanted more than just pointers on what to look for on an ID card and badge. Most impersonators get sloppy with small details.
ETA: in my state it is only a misdemeanor to impersonate a peace officer or fire fighter. Unless it is done to commit a crime. You’d be surprised at how many yahoos do it just so they can play policeman and for no other reason.
I heard of a fellow who wanted a full size sedan but did NOT want a Ford Crown Victoria because it would look like a police car. So he bought a Mercury Marquis.
I remember an incident where somebody tried to enter a prison by impersonating a guard who was supposedly newly transferred and reporting for duty. He was in full uniform and had a valid looking badge and ID. The only reason he didn’t succeed was because the real guard who was at the entry gate happened to be very alert and noticed the supposed officer had an older style of badge that didn’t fit with his story of being a new employee.
The guard at the entry asked the guy to wait while he made a phone call. While he was on the phone, the guy apparently decided his plan wasn’t working (whatever it may have been) and got back in his car and drove off.
Doubtful that some small town County Sheriff is going to have a “full array” of expensive equipment on her belt. Her uniform will certainly be clean, but may show signs of a little wear. This kind of Law Enforcement Department is going to be operating on a some what limited budget.
If someone knocks on your door claiming to be from any law enforcement agency here’s what you do. Say "Hold on a minute, I have to lock up the dog. He goes after anyone he doesn’t know. (Whether you have a dog or not). Call the local police and tell them there is someone at your door claiming to be Police/FBI/ CIA, etc. and wait for a uniformed cop to show up and let them sort it out.
A passenger car, not one of the county’s 4x4s, crunches down our rough mountain dirt track and stops before the mud pit. Person A emerges, uniformed or not, provoking frenzied howling from barely-restrained neighbor dogs. Person A climbs the steps, looks for a non-existent doorbell, finally knocks. I crack the door and say “Wait while I chain the gila monster,” then call the sheriff. Right. Some hours later, Deputy Dawg rolls up in an Amateur County unit, hopefully before sunset when the mountain lions start prowling.
IOW getting official verification is most unlikely here. Likely the best I can do is not let Person A inside, stay on the front porch, and keep repeating “I have nothing to say” until they shoot me or leave. But if they show a warrant, I’ll be nice.