Police investigating fake officer stopping cars in Kearns area

KEARNS — Unified police are investigating reports of a man impersonating a police officer and pulling people over in the Kearns area.

And they fear there are additional victims who have not come forward yet.

The first known incident happened on Aug. 11 near 5600 West and 4700 South. A man driving a a black Dodge Charger with flashing lights in the grill pulled a woman over. A man got out of the Charger "wearing a police uniform that had a patch on it with no city and no name tag," said Unified Police Sgt. Melody Cutler.

The man took the driver's license of the woman he had just pulled over and asked her to step out of the car. But the woman refused, stating she was concerned he really wasn't an officer and asked for the man's badge number and the name of a supervisor, according to police. The man then returned to his car and drove away.

Cutler said there is no record of an officer making a traffic stop in that area at that time.

On Sept. 22, a Unified police officer spotted a black Charger matching the description of the prior incident. The vehicle had a push bumper on the front, which is common for police vehicles, a spotlight, and large lights on the front of the car, Cutler said. The license plate of the vehicle was "WAR1," she said. The officer recorded the information.

On Oct. 16, a driver called 911 to report that a man in a black Charger with the license plate "WAR1," which had flashing white lights and a siren, pulled him over near 4450 W. 5700 South, according to Cutler.

The driver, who is a bail enforcement officer, stated that the Charger had followed him for a distance and then attempted to pull him over. But the driver told police he could tell the man was not in an actual police vehicle, the sergeant said. The driver confronted the man who then got back into his car and drove away.

Police spotted the vehicle a short distance away and pulled the Charger over. Inside the car, the officer reported seeing switches used to turn on emergency lights. The man claimed he was following the bail enforcement officer because he was not using his turn signals and did not have a proper license plate, but denied using lights and a siren to pull the man over, Cutler said.

The Charger was impounded and police say it had lights, a siren and two LED light strips installed.

As of Thursday, the Charger owner had not been arrested or charged.

Anyone who believes they may have been pulled over illegally by a man in a black Charger is asked to contact police at 801-840-4000.

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