- Police in California waved at a driver in a Chevy Camaro with CHP decals, mistaking him for an officer.
- Only moments later did they realize that something wasn’t right and decided to pull him over.
- Now, the man lost his car and visited jail, while authorities are conducting an investigation on his activities.
Today’s roads are full of police SUVs rather than cars, but that wasn’t always the case. Years ago, it wasn’t all that unheard of for a police force to use sports cars. In California, the CHP leveraged the Chevrolet Camaro for decades. Now, one man is finding himself in hot water for allegedly “cosplaying” as a cop, complete with a Camaro dressed up like a bona fide highway patrol car.
On Wednesday, officers with the San Rafael Police Department were on patrol when they noticed something uncommon: an all-white Camaro sporting the California Highway Patrol decal on the side. At first, they believed it to be the genuine article too.
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“The officer thought it was an actual CHP car and waved toward the driver. While waving, they noticed the driver was not wearing a uniform and did not appear to be a CHP officer,” says the department. To determine if something strange was afoot, the officers made a U-turn and pulled over the Camaro.
To their surprise, the driver turned out to be a 25-year-old man, who claimed the decals were for a car show. That might have been slightly more believable if the Camaro hadn’t just been released from an impound lot.
“During the investigation, the driver admitted to placing decals on the car and acknowledged that the public would believe it was a police car,” said the department. ‘He stated the vehicle was for a car show. However, officers determined it had not been used in a car show since it had recently been removed from an impound yard for expired registration.”
Interestingly, the decal makes this car almost 100% accurate when it comes to emulating a real CHP car. Aside from having emergency lights, the only other difference is that the CHP had its slogan at the time, “Safety and Service”, on the rear quarter panel. Nevertheless, the example that Connolly had in his possession wasn’t the real deal.
Officers arrested the man and impounded the Camaro—again. He now faces charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer while operating a vehicle modified to look like a police car. While he was taken to Marin County Jail, records indicate he has since posted bail, as he no longer appears on the current inmate roster.
As for whether the Camaro was used for other crimes, that remains under investigation. Both the San Rafael Police Department and the CHP are continuing to dig into the case.
