DENVER (AP) - Some Colorado law enforcement agencies reported an increase in police impersonators pulling over drivers since the governor ordered residents to stay at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Police in Aurora, Greeley and Erie have been in contact about similar police impersonator cases, KDVR-TV reported Sunday.
“It’s very frightening because we don’t really know what their intentions are,” Crystal McCoy of the Aurora Police Department said.
Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis issued the statewide stay-at-home order March 25. The order scheduled to remain in place through April 11 asks residents to only visit essential businesses and keep 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from others.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Several residents in Greeley reported being waved through a fake roadblock and questioned for “violating the COVID-19 law” by men wearing reflective vests who told drivers they could face citations, police said.
The Greeley Police Department said none of its officers, Weld County Sheriff’s deputies or Colorado State troopers conducted the March 27 traffic stops.
On the same day, a woman in Erie reported being pulled over by a black vehicle with flashing emergency lights and asked where she was going and told her to return home due to the stay-at-home order. The man followed the driver to her residence before leaving the area.
The Erie Police Department and Boulder County Law Enforcement said there were no traffic stops at the location.
On March 25, another woman reported being approached by a man wearing a uniform, although without a badge, patches or name tag.
“He did ask her for her driver’s license and she gave it to him. He gave it back and told her she was free to leave,” McCoy said, noting that it was alarming the impersonator obtained the driver’s personal details. “It is scary that someone else has them and we don’t know what they’re up to in this.”
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