The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says that there is someone impersonating an officer. They are asking for information from anyone who may have been in the area of Leetown Rd and West Hancock Elementary around the time of 7:20 p.m. Sunday, February 11th that may have seen an older model white full-sized pickup truck with blue lights performing a traffic stop in the back driveway of West Hancock Elementary where a woman was pulled over by a man impersonating an officer. The man then tried to forcibly take her from the vehicle, however, she was able to get away.
“The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office would like to recognize the concerns our citizens may have now regarding traffic stops conducted by unmarked vehicles,” said a Facebook post from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office. “It is not the practice of our deputies to perform traffic stops for driving violations in unmarked units unless the actions of the driver pose a threat to the safety of the public or themselves. Knowing there are occurrences when this may happen, if the driver has any apprehensions of pulling over, we encourage them to turn their hazard lights on, drive to a well-lit, safe area and call 911 to ensure the unit attempting the traffic stop is, in fact, a law enforcement officer.”
They continued saying that it is the policy for all traffic stops conducted by any Hancock County unit, to have the deputy call the vehicle information into Central Dispatch which creates a log of the vehicle information and unit number for the safety of the public and the law enforcement officer.
If anyone has any information regarding the impersonation, please contact Hancock County Sheriff’s Office at 228-466-6900.
