ATLANTA — Georgia is seeing a growing risk of fake officers posing as cops and terrorizing local families, state officials with the Secretary of State's office warned.
Several people have been arrested in metro Atlanta this year for impersonating officers or security guards. On Saturday, a man was caught in Marietta impersonating a police officer outside a night club carrying a fake badge and drugs.
Some of these fakes even go as far as making arrests or using fake badges to scare people. In another instance, the Lavinge family was terrified when a woman impersonating a GBI agent came to their door just last month.
"I said, close the door, lock the door, let's go! So we all huddled in our bedroom," Chad Lavinge said.
The woman is now in jail after previous run-ins with the law, according to police.
The police chief in Acworth also spotted an imposter recently who was using police lights and sirens.
"We take a lot of time and we build a lot of trust in our community and people may not trust our department or officers because they don't know what's going on," Acworth Police Officer Eric Mistretta said.
The warning is also being extended to fake security guards in the Peach State. Haque Security Group said it has seen an explosion of unlicensed security guards and body guards near Atlanta.
"It's such a huge risk," the group's Vice President, Joshua Byrd said.
Officials with the group said agencies have to be more careful about who they are picking to perform these jobs.
"How can you ensure my safety if when something bad happens, you don't know what to do," President Chris Rich said.
Here's how officials said you can tell the difference between a real law enforcement officer and a fake one:
- A legit security guard must wear a patch or badge identifying which agency they work for.
- The guard or officer muse have a state license to carry a weapon.
- It is illegal and against the law for a security guard to have the word "enforcement" on their uniform.
Impersonating a security guard is only a misdemeanor in Georgia, but Rich worries the consequences could be serious.
"It's a growing issue and I don't think it's going to stop until there's some new enforcement measures put in place," Rich said.
Police encourage residents to call 911 and verify with dispatch if they suspect an officer or security guard is not legit.