Police Impersonator Victim: 'I Felt I Was Being Profiled'

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - The Boulder County Sheriff's office is investigating a new police impersonator case. The victim tells CBS4, "I felt I was being profiled."

Sheriff's deputies say two phony cops pulled over Sonny Smith just after midnight on Oct. 15 at North 79th Street, near Highway 52.

"And as I come down, I notice these lights come on behind me," said Smith.

Smith said he waited so long to report the incident because he thought they were real police officer and wanted to report the suspicious stop to another department. That's what led him to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

A man in what appeared to be an unmarked police car, described as a dark-colored Crown Victoria, pulled over and asked Smith, 58, for his license and registration. He also said something unusual that made Smith believe something wasn't right.

"The gentleman walked up to me and the first thing that he said to me, he said, 'What are you doing coming out of that neighborhood this time of the evening?'," said Smith.

His uniform had a name plate that read Garcia. A second suspect then pulled up in a different unmarked car. His name plate read Reynolds.

The fake cops conducted a quick scan of Smith's vehicle, never explaining to him why he was being pulled over. The men then returned Smith's license and registration and then told him he could go.

Investigators are unclear what the impersonators' motivation might be.

"They stopped him and got his identification, his vehicle registration," said Boulder County Sheriff's Office spokesman Rick Brough.

"I felt I was being profiled," said Smith.

That's just one of several theories Smith has as to why he was stopped.

Smith had this to say to the police impersonators, "Watch yourselves, because obviously I'm making this statement to let you know that I made the report that if you're fake, and you really are fake, or if you're a rogue cop from another county, and you're doing this type of thing, we're on to you."

Investigators said if anything seems suspicious about a traffic stop, ask the officer for identification or a business card, or call the non-emergency dispatch number to verify that real officers are conducting a traffic stop at your location