Thugs in Costumes
State and local police need to update their policies for dealing with the increasing assaults by thugs impersonating law enforcement officers, often while wearing fake uniforms and badges.
The kidnappings of immigrants, the assaults on peaceful protesters, the assassination of Minnesota Speaker Melissa Hortman … too many pictures, videos and stories of these events include unidentified men committing the crime of pretending to have law enforcement authority.
The increasing frequency of these events requires prioritizing enforcement of the laws against this impersonation, and high-visibility arrests to deter others. Police chiefs, backed by governors and mayors, should issue new rules of engagement instructing police to arrest and detain anyone they suspect of impersonation.
Police may identify these criminals while supporting ICE or Homeland Security activities, when reviewing photographs and videos, or from reports by people at the scenes. Any time police are supporting immigration detentions, they should verify in real time the identities of everyone claiming to be law enforcement. If they have evidence only after the fact, they should pursue identifications with whatever clues they have.
It should become very clear to the thugs conducting the harassment and kidnappings that there will be a steep price to pay. They will be identified, arrested, exposed publicly, tried and convicted.
Right now, they get a free ride, with no consequences for their crimes. There have always been laws against impersonating law enforcement, but now police need to assign a much higher priority to enforcing those laws in order to discourage this current wave of crime.