Suspicious Vehicle

The Calgary Police Service is seeking public assistance in locating a man believed to be posing as a police officer.

On Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at approximately 2:30 a.m., a woman was driving along Palliser Drive S.W., when she noticed she was being followed by a silver sedan.

The vehicle activated red and blue lights in an attempt to pull her over. She stopped and waited for what she thought would be a police officer to approach her vehicle. After a period of time, the driver exited the car and shone a flashlight in the woman’s eyes.

She became suspicious about the incident and drove away calling 911. The vehicle then continued to follow her so the 911 call taker advised the woman to drive to the nearest police station. When she got to the parking lot of the Brae Centre Community station, the vehicle drove away.

A short time later, a man was driving along Southland Drive when the same vehicle activated its lights behind him. The driver pulled over but the suspicious vehicle sped away.

Police circulated the area following both incidents but were unable to locate the suspicious vehicle.

The driver is described as a Caucasian man, approximately 5’ 7” tall, wearing green sweatpants.

The lights on the vehicle were described as being on the front dashboard of the car.

While the motive behind these incidents is unknown, impersonating an officer is a serious offence.

The law requires that members of the public pull over when approached by a police vehicle flashing its lights behind them.

There are, however, a few things drivers should know to ensure their safety:

• The majority of Calgary Police Service traffic stops are conducted in marked vehicles or in unmarked vehicles driven by police officers dressed in full uniform.

• Marked CPS vehicles are always equipped with red and blue lights on top, which are always activated during traffic stops.

• An undercover officer wearing plain clothes may conduct a traffic stop in an unmarked vehicle, using a red/blue -coloured strobe light. The lights in these vehicles can be located inside the grill or in the vehicle’s interior.

• If a driver is not sure about a vehicle that is pulling them over, they should call 911.

• Police officers are required to carry identification at all times and drivers have the right to ask them to see that identification.

• A driver should never exit his/her vehicle during a traffic stop, unless they are asked to do so by a police officer.

• When conducting traffic stops members of the Calgary Police Service usually approach the vehicle they have pulled over in a reasonably prompt fashion. They always identify themselves as members of the Service.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

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