He's not a cop, OPP seek suspect impersonating police officer
Suspect driving black four-door sedan with blue strobe light, police say
Provincial police have released a composite sketch of a man who is alleged to have impersonated a police officer in Wellington County.
The man has been asking drivers for identification to prove their "essential worker" status amid the COVID-19 pandemic, police say.
Police say on April 14 the man stopped a driver and asked for proof that they were an essential worker. The driver gave him the information he'd asked for, and the man returned to his vehicle and left the scene.
"We do not stop motorists to see whether they are essential workers or not," Const. Cheri Rockefeller told CBC News.
Rockefeller said provincial police in Essex County are investigating a similar incident but don't believe the suspect is the same person.
Last week, Saugeen Shores Police Service arrested a man driving a Ford F150 pick up truck outfitted with a police lights package. A 38-year-old man from Seaforth was charged.
Suspect description
The Wellington County suspect is described as a man between 30 and 40 years of age with short dark hair in a brush cut and some unshaven facial hair. He was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and a ballistic vest with "POLICE" written in yellow-orange letters on the front but not the back, police say.
His vehicle is described as a black-four door sedan with a blue strobe light on the dash and a small aerial antenna on the trunk. Police say the model may be a Ford Fusion or a Ford Taurus.
"Those stopped or approached by an officer in plain clothes driving an unmarked vehicle are within their rights to ask for the officer's identification or request a uniformed officer be present," said Rockefeller in a news release, noting that people should call 911 if they think the person is not a police officer.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should contact police or CrimeStoppers.