Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
A New Jersey man was lured out of his hotel room last week by a woman who said she was an undercover police officer and told him his car was hit in the parking lot. Once the man got outside, another woman pulled a knife on him and demanded money, according to a report by News4Jax. The women made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and they had not been caught, the television station reported.
Police warn that these types of crimes tend to increase around the holidays and that it’s perfectly legitimate to question if someone really is an officer when things don’t seem to add up.
Impersonating a police officer is a serious felony crime. It’s also one that police take great offense to and one that prosecutors usually are less likely to bend on.
That’s not uncommon in cases against the police in Jacksonville – including shooting at the cops or battery on law enforcement officers. Police want prosecutors to send strong messages in these cases that pretending to be an officer or threatening to hurt one will not be tolerated in this community.
Under Florida law, Florida Statute 834.08, it is a third degree felony to falsely impersonate a law enforcement officer. The term “officer” includes a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer, a Florida Highway Patrol Officer, an officer from Florida Fish and Wildlife, an officer from the Department of Environmental Protection, a state attorney or assistant state attorney, a corrections officer, etc. If the person impersonating the officer is does the impersonating during the commission of a felony, the charge is upgraded to a second degree felony. The exposure goes from 5 years in prison to 15. If the suspect is impersonating an officer during the commission of a felony and that felony causes death or injures another, the crime turns into a first degree felony in Florida.
Our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney knows which cases are going to be sticklers for the state and can draw on years of experience to develop the best defense strategy.
If you need a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm, PA at 904-365-5200 for a free consultation. Our Duval County Criminal Lawyer is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.