The Ogle County Sheriffis looking for man who impersonated one of its officers last week.
The Sheriff’s Office says a man came to a residence in rural Oregon last Monday night, July 27, at around 10 P.M. and told the home’s occupant that he was an officer with the department. The man, who drove up in what looked like an older style squad car, was wearing a dark blue or black uniform with a sewn-on badge. On his belt was a flashlight and a handcuff case. The man told the resident that he needed to search the house for a missing person. The man left several minutes later, after failing to convince the resident to let him in.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle says if you’re unsure about anyone claiming to be a police officer, it’s OK to check.
“If it doesn’t make sense, if somebody comes to your door and wants, you know, in this case to search your house for a missing person, and you have no idea what they’re talking about, we just ask that people do their due diligence, and just try to confirm identities and try to help figure out the intentions of those people,” he says.
VanVickle says confirming whether someone is a legitimate officer should be straightforward.
“All of our deputies, obviously, have a badge, but they also have an identification card that they carry with them that has their picture, the seal for the Sheriff’s Office, and their badge number. And they’re pretty difficult to duplicate. So, first line of defense would be to ask for proper identification,” he says.
The man is described as a white male in his late 20s or early 30s, 5’10”, very thin, with dark brown or black hair, a small amount of hair on his chin, eyeglasses and an earring in his right ear. He also had a deep voice with what sounded like a Southern accent.
VanVickle says the impersonator obviously went to a lot of trouble and some time to look plausible. The Sheriff’s Office has put out news releases and is using social media to get the word out. VanVickle says it’s likely someone will recognize the man and urges anyone who does so, or has had a similar experience, to contact his office at 815-732-2136. They can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-288-4488.