In the past couple of months I have exposed a few police imposters on this site. After a few PM communications I put the arm on them and they delete their account. This is an insult to real cops who have earned the title and have worked hard in their career. Comments?

Way to go udennis. It is unacceptable, and only adds to the imposters lack of integerity, which is something they missed out on being taught the importance of. Maybe they were (honest/ dumb) enough to put up their real adress : \ Keep up the great work of busting those who need busting.

GS76 says ...

Got one for you to explore sending PM.

You can send it my way, if you so desire :)

We can't assume Police impostors are benign admirers.  Not only is the pretense offensive,  many impostors use phoney color of authority to persuade others to trust them in order to gain advantage and predate.

Take for example, the police impostor who intends to intimidate and harm women he manages to get alone. 

Police impostors love to use the cover of cyberspace to predate on you. 

Not too long ago we had a police impostor here on Policelink who tricked compassionate LEOs into believing she was dying of cancer. She even went so far as to stage her own death by word of mouth.  She capitalized on the heroic aspect of the job to aggrandize herself in her victimhood. She also hurt a lot of people who had befriended her as she she sat back and watched them mourn. 

Tim mentions this incident.

I say police impostors are not playing with a full deck.  They are manipulators of the first order.  They make hard-working cops look bad.  If you believe you are being approached/manipulated by a police impostor here at PL OR on-ground, report it immediately to a mod. On-ground, report it to your local police department.  This crime is taken very seriously. lt often carries a heavy penalty.

Girls, be wise.  If a guy in plainclothes walked up to you and tried to pick you up by saying he is a cop, would you believe him?  In cyberspace, any numbskull can pretend to be anything.  Think of the legions of wimps who operate in anonymity.  If you want to date, fine, but be wise.  Report anything you find suspicious.

You are doing the right thing, Den.  Thank you for keeping us safe.

uncledennis1 says ...

Timmy. GS76 is in my training program. I am his FTO. Do I need to dust off the tar and feather machine?

Have at it   :)      (lol)

Caligirl98 says ...

Way to go!! From what I've seen, a lot of girls on here must think this is somehow a dating site. The pictures they post have Nothing to do with Law Enforcement! And to Pretend you're a Police Officer is terrible!! The only other comment I have is unfortunately anyone can "Say" anything or pretend to be someone there not on this site or any other site out there!! Thank you for doing what YOU do and stay safe!!

The badge bunnies have multiplied at incredible rates on here!!  O_o

I will NEVER understand why anyone would WANT to represent themselves to be what they're not.... What am I saying!!  I'm SURROUNDED by wanna bes where I work. GAH!! But I still don't understand their point of view at ALL!!

She pulled a scam on us and I don't think anyone was wise till it was over. I lost $50.00. Many donated money. She posed for a pic while wearing her husbands uniform with Sgt chevrons and we thought she was promoted. I do hope the agency took some action.

Great job! uncledennis, way to get er done!

Big Bump!!! I have ousted a few of them in my time too.

I feel they are a big part of the problem of this site and a large reason why many a good cop has left.

I say, either get verified or DO NOT post that you are an LEO.

Verification is great and much improved since the old days, but it is still not remotely a good way to decide whether or not to plaster a scarlet letter I (for Imposter or Impersonator) on someone. Yes, you can slam me for butting my nose where it doesn't belong, but I have my well-informed opinions and I will not shy away from them.

Exactly--and several well-respected members presumed not to be liars either took a very long time to be verified or are still not verified.

P.S. It took me about 2 minutes to find enough information on ment2b to strongly suggest that someone with his name in his town is the local (state-statute authorized) law enforcement authority. That doesn't mean he's POST-certified or anything like that, but like it or not, verification doesn't require that. If he chooses not to be verified, that should be his business. If some people choose to make a stink using a lame justification such as absence of verification, that's their business. If I choose to call those people out--that's my business. Rest assured, that if I do, I likely have done my homework first. You can take that to the bank.

In my opinion, the Mods and more than a few conscientious members here see to it Policelink is not plagued with impostors. Obviously, the average member can use a little common sense to determine if they have encountered a manipulator, then report it.  And yes, it is true that an Introduction isn't mandatory, merely polite.  That is mighty civilized if you ask me.

As for verification, LEOs who are not verified do input in Forums.  Such LEOs may find themselves questioned by others in public or behind the scenes.  Word gets around and as soon as impostors are identified - POOF!  They disappear.

Also mighty civilized.  Take for example uncledennis1 himself...nobody muscled him into verification.  PL invites, not demands. 

For that reason, PL is a community FULL of excellent cops.  Sure, Policelink has its detractors who swing by to rag the site, but reality is - Policelink is top of the line for civilian/law enforcement interaction.  That unique property puts PL far above other sites who maintain a totally boring exclusivity from civilians! 

Law Enforcement Officer as defined by "definitions.uslegal.com"

"A law enforcement officer is a government employee who is responsible for the prevention, investigation, apprehension, or detention of individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the criminal laws, including an employee engaged in this activity who is transferred to a supervisory or administrative position; or serving as a probation or pretrial services officer."

Just throwing this out there.

As far as the thorn in our side a few years ago being "verified": she claimed she was a cop (even named her agency), claimed she got promoted (twice) and posed in a uniform with Sgt stripes. I'm sure she fudged some type of paperwork or ID and faxed it in to get "verified". Did the agency do anything about it or her? Don't know, Don't Care!! The thorn has been removed from my side and is nothing but a bad memory.    I do have a name for her, but the censorship here would ultimately prevent this post from going through. Besides, I like to think that maybe I'm just a little bit above that........... or not   :)

Yup, Tim.  H igh on the charm factor.  Zero integrity. 

In fact, MY hackles go up whenever anybody falsely describes themselves as an "officer" of any kind.

Was just writing a friend my thoughts on this and said, "Training is just that -  training.  training does not authorize anything in and of itself. Bodies do. 


As I understand, the term "officer" connotes authority in the performance of certain duties for an established firm, agency or department. Certain bank employees that fill specific roles are called "officers".  There are "loan officers", etc.  These are legitimized through hire and/or advancement.

Sooo...If one is NOT an officer, how can one enforce or even act upon anyone or anything without having qualified through meeting specific standards, including training hours by a legitimate law enforcement agency or department?  A case in point -  the requirment - among many, of swearing a very specific oath within the context of employ by a police department, etc. in order to become established as a peace officer.  This so the officer can then take the stand and represent the State in court.

It goes like this:

Training + No Hire/No Swearing-In Process = No Sworn Law Enforcement Officer

Ta DAH!!  Now isn't that easy?? lol

(I understand there are " non-sworn officers" - community service officers, for example - who do not testify in court.  Maybe somebody could enlighten me on what these do in order to qualify as "officers."  Needless to say, they are every bit officers by virtue of their legitimate employ and by departmental standards.

36TR says ...

Law Enforcement Officer as defined by "definitions.uslegal.com"

"A law enforcement officer is a government employee who is responsible for the prevention, investigation, apprehension, or detention of individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the criminal laws, including an employee engaged in this activity who is transferred to a supervisory or administrative position; or serving as a probation or pretrial services officer."

Just throwing this out there.

As far as the thorn in our side a few years ago being "verified": she claimed she was a cop (even named her agency), claimed she got promoted (twice) and posed in a uniform with Sgt stripes. I'm sure she fudged some type of paperwork or ID and faxed it in to get "verified". Did the agency do anything about it or her? Don't know, Don't Care!! The thorn has been removed from my side and is nothing but a bad memory.    I do have a name for her, but the censorship here would ultimately prevent this post from going through. Besides, I like to think that maybe I'm just a little bit above that........... or not   :)