It is a scary notion when someone poses as an officer to take advantage of people. It is scarier to know that these perpetrators sometime use de-commissioned police cars to do it.
"When people, like what happened in Rowlett, are using these vehicles to lure children to lure women into vehicles, you know you have a problem on your hands," said Texas state representative Craig Goldman who represents southwest Tarrant County.
Police in Rowlett are investigating an incident where someone posed as an officer and attempted to lure a 14-year-old boy who was playing Pokemon Go. Police tell News 8 when the boy checked his phone for proof he was an officer, the man walked back to his car and sped off. The vehicle, described by the teenager, was a "marked police car" with police decals.
State Representative Craig Goldman says he is ready to bring a bill in November that would make it a crime for someone who is not an officer to drive cars that are made to look like genuine police cars.
"In my mind you're also impersonating a police officer when you're driving around in one of these vehicles," the Goldman said.
Impersonating an officer is a felony. But there is currently nothing in Texas law that prohibits someone from driving a decommissioned police car that still looks very much like a police car. Several clicks and keystrokes and those vehicles are everywhere on Craigslist - police cars with all the trimmings. News 8 noticed police cars with light bars, spotlights, outlines of emblems, and even a ram.
"It gives guidance but it doesn't have any teeth," said Pete Schulte, who is an attorney and a commissioned police officer. The current law as read in House Bill 473, authored by State Rep. Helen Giddings has a requirement by the agency giving up the car to "remove any equipment or insignia".
An excerpt of that bill reads:
Sec. 2175.908. SALE OR TRANSFER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLE. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the commission or another state agency, including an agency delegated the authority to dispose of surplus or salvage property under Section 2175.065, may not sell or transfer a marked patrol car or other law enforcement motor vehicle to the public unless the state agency first removes any equipment or insignia that could mislead a reasonable person to believe that the vehicle is a law enforcement motor vehicle, including any police light, siren, amber warning light, spotlight, grill light, antenna, emblem, outline of an emblem, and emergency vehicle equipment.
This law also says that agencies "may not sell or transfer" a marked car to a security services contractor. Schulte thinks it would be better to penalize the shops that sell the equipment that go into the cars.
"I can walk into any store that sells law enforcement equipment and buy it off the shelves no question asked," he said.
Schulte says pulling over drivers who are in vehicles that resemble police cars could bring up some constitutional concerns such as unlawful search and seizure. He says it would be better if the stores required identification that shows that the person buying the items are commissioned officers.
Kevin Lawrence of the TMPA, Texas Municipal Police Association, says ""The version that passed lacks any true enforcement. We also need to hold the agencies accountable."
Lawrence even suggests that if police agencies cannot destroy the vehicle then the city should use the vehicle in a different capacity at a different city department. Most often these vehicles that go to auction are are bought by private citizens.
Texas State Representative Goldman is unsure what his bill would read in regards to the responsibility of the agencies that put these vehicles up for auction. He says there needs to be more conversations with the law enforcement community.