Baltimore County police are asking for help finding a woman they said impersonated a police officer earlier this month and stole $15 from a confused motorist.
The suspect was driving a royal blue Chevrolet Malibu with a red light mounted on the dashboard Dec. 18 when she “pulled over” the victim on Washington Boulevard near Commerce Drive around 9:10 a.m., police said. Wearing blue pants and a blue shirt, a silver badge, a Stetson-style hat and a revolver on her hip, the woman asked for the motorist?s license and registration.
When the victim told her he didn?t have the documents with him, she demanded a $25 fine and told him he could do it “the easy way, or the hard way.”
Puzzled, the victim asked if the woman was asking for the money immediately, police said. When she nodded “yes,” he told her he only had $15 on him. She took that and left.
“What?s very unusual is that it?s a female,” said police spokesman Cpl. Michael Hill. “In past police–impersonation cases, the impersonator would often look for female drivers to possibly commit a sexual crime. Now we have a female who makes a traffic stop to get money.”
The victim described the suspect as a white female between 35 and 40 years old, about 5 feet 6 inches tall with red or brown hair. She was wearing a gold nameplate with possibly “Pumphrey” on it and had a “J” tattooed on her left index finger and a “P” on her middle finger, Hill said.
He said undercover officers do drive Chevrolet Malibus, among other vehicles. He emphasized that the suspect did not have a shoulder patch on her shirt, which legitimate officers wear, and said officers will never ask for money on the spot.
“An officer may indicate what the fine and points are for a violation, but you should never give anyone money,” Hill said.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crime to call them at 410-307-2020.
