Criminals Impersonating Law Enforcement Officers Rise Nationwide

Criminals impersonating law enforcement officers have become a growing issue in the United States, according to reports from police departments and federal agencies. In New York City, arrests for impersonating a cop or other public servant reached 1,474 in 2025, marking a 50% increase from the previous year, New York Police Department data shows.

Brooklyn recorded the highest number of these incidents among the city's five boroughs. One incident occurred at the Tajuken Deli in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood in early April 2025, where four armed men dressed in police uniforms entered the store, displayed badges, and shouted 'NYPD' while subduing employees and a customer.

Surveillance video captured the robbers zip-tying victims and taking cash and lottery ticket receipts before leaving in a dark van. In January 2026, the FBI's Atlanta office highlighted a trend of scammers, possibly of foreign origin, pretending to be law enforcement to accuse victims of fraud and extract money.

' The Federal Trade Commission reported $3.5 billion in losses from about 1 million imposter scams in 2025, including those where individuals pretended to represent government agencies, banks, relatives, businesses, or technical support. Impersonators often use fake uniforms, badges, vehicle lights, scanners, and sirens to deceive victims.

Criminals can obtain retired police vehicles and equipment online without verification of law enforcement status.

March 5, 2026, in Osceola, Florida, a 59-year-old man used an SUV with blue lights and a siren to approach a driver, claiming to be an officer, but fled when asked for a second officer and was later charged. Two days later, the Sunriver Police Department in Deschutes County, Oregon, warned of a man impersonating officers over the phone to collect Social Security numbers and banking information.