Vehicle similar to this pictured vehicle
Mariposa County Sheriff's Office Updates Citizens Concerning an "Official" Looking Vehicle in Mariposa County


March 3, 2017 - The Mariposa County Unified School District has released the following information.

Dear MCUSD Families:

The following information was received from Lieutenant Hagen, CHP Mariposa Area Commander, on February 28, 2017:

We had an unusual call at about 6:15pm on February 20th, which just came to my attention. A local gentleman stopped to provide aid to a 20-year-old female who had run out of gas on Highway 49, just south of Worman Road. The man has a personally-owned Dodge Charger, white in color, which bears more than a passing resemblance to a law enforcement vehicle. There are spotlights and flashing amber lights on his car, which were activated when he approached her. The general appearance of the car, coupled with the specific lighting configuration, led the young woman to believe the man was some type of police officer. He is not. The man contacted the young woman and offered to go get her gas, which he did. My officers arrived on-scene in the interim. While my officers were there, the man returned with the gas, and again he had the aforementioned lights activated. My officers investigated, and found the man had stopped short of actually impersonating or identifying himself as a peace officer. However, there really is no reasonable explanation for the appearance and lighting system of his vehicle.

This seems like a good opportunity to remind the public of some safety tips:

• The best thing to do is to make sure your vehicle is in good working order, with enough gas to get you where you are going, before you start towards your destination.
• If you do break down and are contacted by law enforcement, be cognizant of whether they are in a marked unit and/or readily recognizable law enforcement uniform.
• If they are not in a marked unit and/or readily recognizable law enforcement uniform, consider remaining in your vehicle with the doors locked. You should be able to project your voice through a closed or slightly cracked window, to communicate if you need to. This is a good time to ask for identification.
• When/if you ask for identification, do not be satisfied with just a badge. Badges can be purchased anywhere, but ID cards are issued by the officer’s actual employing agency.
• If you are in an area where your cellular phone works, 911 from any cell phone will go directly into CHP dispatch. We can check to see if the person with you is a real law enforcement officer, and will send a patrol unit to your location as soon as you call.

I’m hoping you can help me get the word out among your staff and students. This is not the first incident with this man. He seems to know exactly where the lines are, which is what prevented us from being able to arrest him this time. That doesn't mean he's not dangerous.

Thank you for helping to spread the word to students and community about staying safe.
Source: MCUSD

For More Information: Mariposa County Sheriff's Office Updates Citizens Concerning an "Official" Looking Vehicle in Mariposa County