Decatur Police issued an alert the afternoon of April 25 about a man claiming he’s a police officer.

According to Decatur Police Sgt. Jennifer Ross, at 9:54 am on April 25 police responded to a call about a suspicious person at the 100 block of Superior Avenue. The caller told police that between 9:30 am and 9:45 am there was a strange man in the driveway near the rear of a home.

The caller told police that when she asked the man what he was doing, the man told her he was looking at the car and “it was a police matter.” Then he flashed “some type of badge that she was unable to identify,” the report says. The man then walked back out to the street and drove away in a car parked on the street in front of the home.

He’s described as an adult white male, 5’10 to 6 feet tall, with a medium build and wearing glasses. He was driving a newer model gray or light green minivan, possibly a Mazda, with a Florida tag, the report says.  

“Based on the circumstances, this does not appear to have been a legitimate law enforcement officer,” Ross said.  “Not showing identification once observed on someone’s property, the brief flashing of a badge while abruptly leaving and leaving in a vehicle with a Florida tag makes this suspicious.  Please call police immediately if you encounter this type of situation.  A legitimate officer not in uniform or in a marked police vehicle should expect to show identification in this type of scenario, not flash a badge and seemingly flee.”