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by **Benderbrau** » Wed May 16, 2012 9:44 am

Bogus cop gunning down drivers
By Lateef Mungin, CNN

(CNN) -- Someone who may be posing as a police officer is pulling cars over on Mississippi highways and then shooting drivers dead, authorities said.

After two such shootings this month, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public's help to find the person.

The agency was receiving leads and processing forensic evidence, bureau spokesman Warren Strain said Tuesday.

John Champion, district attorney for the state's 17th District, said there were no good descriptions of a vehicle.

"Both of the shootings occurred in very remote areas," Champion told HLN's Vinnie Politan.

Authorities were asking citizens to be careful if they are pulled over and feel uneasy.

They advise drivers to call 911 and verify that a legitimate officer is pulling them over or drive to a well-lit, crowded place before stopping, actions permitted under Mississippi state law.

"The concern is that someone is posing as a law enforcement officer and that is how these vehicles end up on the side of the road," said MBI director Lt. Col. Larry Waggoner.

The first shooting occurred on May 8. Thomas Schlender, 74, was found dead about 1:30 a.m. in his car in the median of southbound Interstate 55 in Panola County.

On Friday, Lori Anne Carswell, 48, was found dead outside her car on the shoulder of Mississippi State Highway 713, in Tunica County, about 2:15 a.m.

The shootings took place about 55 miles apart, and the victims did not know each other, authorities said.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/15/justice/m ... index.html

Git 'em Chap!

by **chap22** » Wed May 16, 2012 9:47 am

yeah, this was all over the local news over the weekend. seriously, this is some scary shit. a big reason i believe the whole "selling off cop cars at auction" practice needs to be done away with or drastically changed.

by **Benderbrau** » Wed May 16, 2012 9:51 am

chap22 wrote:yeah, this was all over the local news over the weekend. seriously, this is some scary shit. a big reason i believe the whole "selling off cop cars at auction" practice needs to be done away with or drastically changed.

But aren't cop cars in Mississippi just custom Crown Vics like everywhere else? Anyone can buy a used black Crown Vic anywhere, remove the hubcaps, slap a spotlight on it and it would look like a cop car.

by **Grayson** » Wed May 16, 2012 9:59 am

Wow, those poor people. Hopefully they will catch this guy before he has a chance to harm another victim.

chap22 wrote:yeah, this was all over the local news over the weekend. seriously, this is some scary shit.

Chap, I am curious about how this will effect actual police officers and state troopers. Have there been any reports about an escalation in the amount of people refusing to stop when an officer attempts to pull them over?

by **achilles** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:05 am

That's some scary stuff. You think it's a legit traffic stop, then.... :shock:

by **chap22** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:08 am

Sakie wrote:Chap, I am curious about how this will effect actual police officers and state troopers. Have there been any reports about an escalation in the amount of people refusing to stop when an officer attempts to pull them over?

i haven't seen any numbers yet, but they did discuss the issue on the news. they had patrolmen talking about ways to safely pull over, and that they're really looking for some acknowledgement that you know you've been busted, either slowing down or giving a wave or something and then driving to a nearby well-lit, public area to pull over, things like that.

b/c stuff like this makes it just as scary for the cops as the drivers...especially down here, you just know some redneck's gonna want to either haul ass to try and get away, leading to a high speed chase, or is gonna think about pulling out his shotgun/pistol and holding onto it while the cop approaches the car. everybody gets jumpy...

by **chap22** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:09 am

Benderbrau wrote:But aren't cop cars in Mississippi just custom Crown Vics like everywhere else? Anyone can buy a used black Crown Vic anywhere, remove the hubcaps, slap a spotlight on it and it would look like a cop car.

depends on the county. different counties/cities have different makes and models, different color schemes, etc.

by **Grayson** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:39 am

chap22 wrote:i haven't seen any numbers yet, but they did discuss the issue on the news. they had patrolmen talking about ways to safely pull over, and that they're really looking for some acknowledgement that you know you've been busted, either slowing down or giving a wave or something and then driving to a nearby well-lit, public area to pull over, things like that.

b/c stuff like this makes it just as scary for the cops as the drivers...especially down here, you just know some redneck's gonna want to either haul ass to try and get away, leading to a high speed chase, or is gonna think about pulling out his shotgun/pistol and holding onto it while the cop approaches the car. everybody gets jumpy...

Yeah, I was worried that this was going to make it harder on law enforcement. All it's going to take is one armed citizen who fancies himself a vigilante, to assume that the officer pulling him over isn't really an officer.

Hopefully people will just remain calm and use common sense.

by **Rockman** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:45 am

chap22 wrote:yeah, this was all over the local news over the weekend. seriously, this is some scary shit. a big reason i believe the whole "selling off cop cars at auction" practice needs to be done away with or drastically changed.

My friend had bought a used cop car, it's clearly no longer a cop car, they stripped it of every identifiable feature (aside from the spot light and push bar on the front).

by **chap22** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:48 am

Rockman wrote:
My friend had bought a used cop car, it's clearly no longer a cop car, they stripped it of every identifiable feature (aside from the spot light and push bar on the front).

which they should do. but not all of them do it.

i mean look...it's cool if the Blues Brothers do it, those guy are non-violent criminal hooligans. :-D

but if psychos like this dude get one...

by **Benderbrau** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:49 am

Rockman wrote:
My friend had bought a used cop car, it's clearly no longer a cop car, they stripped it of every identifiable feature (aside from the spot light and push bar on the front).

Which is the point I was making earlier. Many cop cars driven by actual cops are decorated just like that. Even more of them are just minus the pushbar. Those seem to be MA idea of unmarked police cars. It's such a dumb configuration because it's so easy to replicate.

by **Benderbrau** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:51 am

chap22 wrote:which they should do. but not all of them do it.

i mean look...it's cool if the Blues Brothers do it, those guy are non-violent criminal hooligans. but if psychos like this dude get one...

What else do they leave on the car? Are you saying that sometimes they sell the cars with siren/lights and graphics still intact?

by **Rockman** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:57 am

As a general rule I do not think that undercover cop cars should be doing traffic duty anyways, it should always be a clearly marked vehicle doing those things.

But they've been telling people for years, if you get pulled over to drive to a well lit parking lot or the police station itself and deal with it there. You're safety is paramount in these situations, and if you have a reason to believe that the person pulling you over isn't really a cop then do what you must to make sure that you are safe.

And please don't be like those r-tards who pull over on the friggin road and block traffic.

by **chap22** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:57 am

Benderbrau wrote:What else do they leave on the car? Are you saying that sometimes they sell the cars with siren/lights and graphics still intact?

2-tone paint jobs, sure. spotlight and push bars, sure. i've seen the special cop side-views left on. and occasionally i do believe i've spotted one or two that still had the top-mount flashers too.

by **Benderbrau** » Wed May 16, 2012 11:15 am

Rockman wrote:As a general rule I do not think that undercover cop cars should be doing traffic duty anyways, it should always be a clearly marked vehicle doing those things.

But they've been telling people for years, if you get pulled over to drive to a well lit parking lot or the police station itself and deal with it there. You're safety is paramount in these situations, and if you have a reason to believe that the person pulling you over isn't really a cop then do what you must to make sure that you are safe.

And please don't be like those r-tards who pull over on the friggin road and block traffic.

Good luck finding a well lit parking lot or police station on a highway or some desolate back road. In some areas of this country you could drive 20 miles and not see either. And I doubt any cop would let you drive 20 miles to find one. They'll probably give you 5 minutes max to pullover before they either force you off the road or get in front of you and roadblock you.