OK, it's bad enough that many folks don't respect (or have very little respect for) private security personnel, and Lord knows that police impersonators are bad.... but then it gets worse....

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/fake_guards_steal_night_deposi.html

TIGARD -- Two men made off with hundreds of dollars in cash last Friday by dressing as security guards, standing outside a bank's night deposit slot and persuading people to hand over their money because the slot was "broken."

The men offered to make the deposits for customers at the Washington Square branch of Wells Fargo bank the next day when the bank reopened, said a Tigard Police spokesman, Jim Wolf.

 

But "Wells Fargo had absolutely no idea who these men were," Wolf said.

He said the men wore uniforms and had badges and guns. The night deposit slot was covered by a blue engraved sign saying it was out of order.

It all looked real, Wolf said.

"What can someone expect at this point?" he asked. "In this case, it was very official-looking, both the appearance of the suspects and how they orchestrated the collection."

"Obviously, it appears that this was thought out," he said. "It was planned."

The thefts happened about 10 p.m. Friday at the Wells Fargo branch at 9200 S.W. Washington Square Road, Wolf said.

Wolf said police learned of the situation the next day, when a business contacted the branch to ask about a deposit made the night before.

Wolf said the men were described as being 30 to 40 years old, with medium builds. Both were wearing blue uniforms and had guns, security badges and identification cards.

The "guards" offered to collect the deposits by putting them in a black box they had, Wolf said. He said the deposits came from businesses that normally use the slot to deposit the day's receipts from their tills.

Two people who gave deposits to the men said the sign over the slot read "Out of Service." Wolf said he was not sure how a hole in the wall might be out of service.

Tigard police ask that anyone who may have seen the men near the bank call 503-639-6168.

"In this case, it appears they've either done this before or may have the intention of doing it again," Wolf said.

Riot says ...

People trust people in uniform...if you put on a tool belt, had a clipboard and a hard-hat you could get just about anywhere. Hell, make a "fire inspector" badge from galls.com and people will probably let you anywhere in their house!

Well shoot we have members here selling police patches and badges. It's scary

Thats why we all carry ID from our departments.

There needs to be a law. When I throw away uniforms the patches get pulled off and the shirt gets torn up. I crush my hats before I throw them away.

KSP494 says ...

There needs to be a law. When I throw away uniforms the patches get pulled off and the shirt gets torn up. I crush my hats before I throw them away.

We turn ours in, and then the get the patches cut off. But you have to admit the customers were pretty stupid. Not even a reciept from the bad guys for their deposits. Just hand your money over be guys some guy says the hole in the wall is broke. Yeah makes sense to me.

i would have just said ill come back when they open in the morning or used another branch.because here we have 3 wells fargo banks. so what are the odds that all 3 would be "out of order"? you can buy just about anything online and its too esay. you can buy red and blues from galls with no creds so why not uniforms except for badges and patches that say police,agent,or sheriff then you do need proof of employment as a leo.

all be safe.and have a good monday!

Just another day in fun filled America. Criminals these days are getting more and more brave. I just read an article about a Palm beach Deputy whose unmarked car got popped while he was in service. What's next? I don't think anyone is safe now. They're pretending to be Security, Leo's, you even got people that pretend to be Docs & Dentists. We all need to on guard to the things that are going on these days. That was just sad. How'd they even get a hold of the uniforms? The disposal of uniforms and other sensitive items needs to be handled in an appropriate manner so we do not have carelessness such as this.

Everyone be safe out there. Stay frosty and always watch your six!