Lasalle cops probe impostor officer case

The growing problem of police impersonators has hit close to home as Lasalle Police Services has reported an incident Friday off Malden Road when a teenage girl was approached by a vehicle with no markings, but the driver was outfitted in police clothing.

“Obviously we are concerned,” said Sr. Const. Terry Seguin of Lasalle police. “You want to make sure nobody out there is impersonating any type of police officer.

“This is being thoroughly investigated. It’s a significant concern to us on who this individual might be.”

Just after 2 p.m. on Friday, the teenager was riding her bike on Malden near Delmar Street and was approached by a man driving a dark-coloured sedan. She heard a siren briefly and the man asked her to pull over into a parking lot at Malden Square Plaza.

During the brief encounter, the man asked her several questions before saying it was OK for her to leave.

Lasalle police confirmed none of their vehicles or officers were in the area or had any interaction with the female. All of Lasalle’s officers and vehicles are traced through GPS, Seguin said.

“We can track back, so that’s why we always know whether our officers or vehicles are involved,” he said.

The dark sedan was described as new in appearance, equipped with a push bar on the front bumper and possibly a light in the front windshield. But the vehicle had no markings that would identify it as a police vehicle.

The man was described as white,

Obviously we are concerned. You want to make sure nobody out there is impersonating any type of police officer.

muscular and about six feet tall. He was wearing a ballistic vest with the words Lasalle Police on the front. He was also wearing dark cargo pants with a collared shirt that had “police” on the sleeves.

He had on dark mirrored sunglasses, a black ball cap with no markings and a surgical mask. He had dark hair and a raspy voice. The man did not identify himself as a police officer at any point during his conversation.

The vest and lettering described by the teenager have no similarity to those within the local department, Seguin said. The type of vest is easy to obtain and perhaps had homemade patches, he said.

When an officer in Lasalle retires or leaves the department, all equipment must be returned, including clothing which is accounted for and destroyed on-site with administration present during the process, Seguin said.

“We are a small department and keep on top of that,” he said. “It’s very unlikely a piece of police equipment went missing.”

Seguin indicated, given the incident took place in the shopping plaza, there are businesses with video surveillance which is part of the investigation. Vehicle dash cams may prove helpful, he said.

There is a slim chance it could have been an officer from another jurisdiction such as Windsor or OPP, so that possibility is also being checked, Seguin said.

He encouraged any resident who feels they are being approached by someone impersonating an officer to call police on their cell to double-check, drive to the police station or at least a public place where there are other people nearby.

Lasalle police ask anyone who may have witnessed Friday’s event or have information to call 519969-5210 or Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477.