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Subscribe to RSSMississippi police discuss two random shootings which they believe are linked together, possibly to someone impersonating a police officer.
Mississippi authorities on Monday urged motorists to be alert in the wake of two shooting deaths along the state’s highways that they believe may have been committed by someone impersonating a police officer.
"There are some similarities between the two incidents, mainly the fact they happened alongside a Mississippi highway," Mississippi Bureau of Investigation Director Lt. Col. Larry Waggoner said in a press release. "The concern is that someone is posing as a law enforcement officer and that is how these vehicles end up on the side of the road."
Nebraska resident Thomas K. Schlender, 74, was found dead in his car along I-55 near Pope, Miss., on May 8. He had been shot and his was found in his car which had crashed into the highway median.
At a press briefing on Monday, Schlender was described as a grandfather traveling to Florida to pick up his grandson at the time of his death.
The other shooting victim, Lori Anne Carswell, 48, of Hernando, Miss., was found near her car on the shoulder of state Highway 713 near I-69 early May 11. Carswell, who worked at a nearby casino, was believed to be on her way home from work when she was shot.
Evidence from the two scenes led investigators to believe that both vehicles were on the roadside when the victims were shot. It also suggests that the two are linked, said John Champion, district attorney from Mississippi's northern region. He spoke to reporters at a press briefing in Hernando, Miss., on Monday, flanked by police, sheriffs and other officials from the region.
Shell casings recovered from the two shooting sites had been sent to the state crime lab for processing, said Warren Strain, public affairs director for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
The department is urging people to verify that they are being stopped by a legitimate law enforcer, he said.
"If someone is being pulled over and it’s not obvious that it is a law enforcement officer, (they should) dial 911 or star 47 and that will roll into the nearest 911 dispatcher," Strain said, adding that dispatchers have been alerted and will be prepared to provide confirmation.
Officials at the press briefing said that if a driver is being signaled to pull over, they have the right to put their flashers on and drive slowly to to the nearest lighted and populated area before coming to a halt.
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The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, under the safety department, is working with local police officers and sheriff’s departments and has put out relevant information to state and national law enforcement agencies.
Champion, the district attorney, also said the FBI behavioral science unit had been contacted.
Police earlier said that they were trying to find out where Schlender, the Nebraska victim, had stopped on his way south, but had no suspects in the case, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
"We do know that there were no inklings of foul play or criminal activity on Schlender’s part," Jay Hale, an assistant district attorney in Panola County, Miss., told the World-Herald.
Strain said there were other possible scenarios for the shootings, but did not say why investigators were focused on a police imposter, only that it was a "more ominous" possibility.
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NEVER stop for an unmarked "police" car.
Sirens, blue lights it does not matter.
If the car is real he will call for marked backup.
Then you can stop and explain why you don't feel like getting killed by an impostor.
Unmarked cars are NOT for routine traffic stops.
And any state that uses this method should be held accountable for any deaths related to such activity.
It is more likely a real cop doing it. How can you even trust them nowadays?
Spoken like a real criminal who just doesn't want to live by societies rules. There are a few bad cops out there but the number is so small as to be almost zero. If you have been jacked up by a cop and think it's his fault I'm pretty sure that you are a loser. If you ever grow up, get a life and learn the facts of life you will know better than your stupid remark above. Of course there are many who refuse to grow up and be responsible. productive members of society and most of them spend some time in jail and/or vote democrat every chance they get.
Dennis, while I agree with the point that most police officers are good, law abiding, public servants. Your attitude is prevalent on the other side of that line. There have been young girls pulled over raped and even murdered by...police officers, not imitators, actual officers. There have been people pulled over and beaten as well, during the civil rights movement, sheriff and police acting under the color of law, committed crimes. So while you are correct that the majority of our law enforcement officers are upstanding and compassionate folks, do not pretend that there aren't some on every force who abuse their power with both their demeanor and sometimes behavior. And don't even try to demonize democrats with the bologne you're trying to peddle here. We should be able to have a discussion without folks like you trying to politicize it. This issue isn't partisan and there are plenty of republicans living in trailers, eating thanks to the SNAP program, collecting undeserved disability payments, with their confederate flag bumper stickers. In fact the MAJORITY of government welfare spending does happen in the RED states, you guys are just a lot better at being hypocritical about that.
Dennis you don't have a leg to stand on. While most cops DO obey the law they also look the other way when the bad ones break it. That makes them criminals too. Yes ANY time a cop looks the other way, and it happens every day they are not living by societies rules. A rotten apple does in fact spoil the whole barrel.
What kind of fantasy world do you live in where calling out bad cops makes you a criminal? What kind of right wing bubble do you live in where Democrats aren't productive members of society? How on earth do you consider yourself grown up when you worldview is so simplistic and childlike?
If you don't feel like the vehicle behind you is legitimate, state laws allows you to travel at a safe speed to the next exit, intersection, store, and then pull over as long as you are NOT trying to escape OR evade law enforcement.
And that is where it gets "murky"! Were you being stopped because of weaving or a headlight being out? There will be witnesses and bystanders at any/all locations along the highways and byways that have adequate lighting and it might just keep you from becoming a victim of a criminal OR an over zealous officer.
And it really boils down to if you aren't doing anything wrong or illegal, why be scared of getting stopped? Pull over at the next exit OR store!!!
I followed this law once... i.e. drove slowly to a well lit area( a distance of about 1/4 of a mile)... I was YANKED out of my car with a loaded gun pointed at me, forced to lie facedown on the asphalt while I was searched, quite frankly if I wasn't white I'd probably be dead. After he stopped yelling "WHY WERE YOU RUNNING?" long enough to hear what I was saying, I reminded him of the fact that what I did was perfectly legal( It is in most states). A bunch of other police cars arrived within minutes, thankfully, because now that this officer was confronted with witnesses he actually had to behave in a civil(legal) fashion. The moral of the story is BE CAREFUL, you never know when the cop pulling you over is going to pull some steroid fueled power trip. Oh and the ticked was dismissed... I brought a printout of the statute into court and showed that the officer was wrong... he shouldn't have pulled me over in the first place.
Review your police officer most recent monthly Polygraph test results..... Oh that's right they don't believe in them. That's why they are all require to take them when they were hired. They didn't refuse then did they. As a condition of employment they should be required to take the test MONTHLY or be FIRED and investigated, every case they have ever worked on.
A dirty COP is worse that a Child molester!
then they will bust ya for use'n a cell phone and driving...oh well beat's get'n killed...
Well why were they kill? Was it a robbery or what?
Why would anybody want to impersonate a Mississippi cop?
Crystal meth is a powerful drug my friend...
Real cops are at least as dangerous as any impersonator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwGlbWKKbD4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCZB-k4jKBc&feature=related
Criminals with badges are still criminals.
Always ask to see the officers ID. keep your doors lock and you only have to roll the window down far enough to pass registration, etc, and for you and the officer to hear each other. If the officer gets mad (and they probibly will) or threatens you, report him/her to their supervisor as soon as possible.
To what end? The cop's supervisor is also a cop and also believes any civilian should treat any cop like a little tin god.
Then you contact the city council, county commissioners, write a letter to the editor of your local paper. You do what you legally can to inform the public. Plead not guilty so you can get to court and tell the Judge.
Police Chiefs and County sheriffs are politicians and don't want bad publicity on their departments.
Hopefully this has nothing to do with that fed that went rogue.
Stay safe, everyone!
In any state in the US, if you put your flashers on, and drive slowly to a populated area, there is no cop that will mind, especially if its at night. they had an imposter like this in Colorado for awhile, and someone called 911 to tell them they were going to a brightly lit area, and the 911 operator told her to keep going at that speed and do not slow down or stop. Because that wasn't one of their cops. And the real cops were enroute. Scarey stuff!
What's even scarier, after thinking about it. I wonder if the Colorado imposter was in the military at Fort Carson. Then he got out and went home. I hope he wasn't from Mississippi.
It is the Florida cop who arrested 2 black guys in two different incident. He had them in the back of the patrol car handcuffed and left with them and both victims were never seen again. He never explained to anyone what happened to the 2 men. The police department fired him but never charged him. Guess he is bored and went for a drive in Mississippi.
My first impression is it's a real cop. Unlike Dennis Young's rant posted earlier, there are more bad cops in this world than we truly know. Fact; a good cop will back a bad cop every time....and that's corruption Making the entire force corrupt all the way to the top. As a combat veteran from the Vietnam era, I have seen my share of dirty cops. Cops who have killed and gotten away with it. For the past decade I have witnessed the transition of good ole boy cops to testosterone fueled bullies. That's what law enforcement has become today. Look no further than the cop in Georgia that kicked a pregnant woman in the stomach and got away. Need I even mention the 5 New Orleans cops who are now serving prison time? No Dennis, you are the one needing to wake-up. Law enforcement are criminals.
Ban handguns.
really, then how would you defend yourself during a break-in or a robbery
.
Cop serial killers are a problem in this country. All cops are thugs with badges, but some are much more warped than that. Never trust a cop. If it comes to a confrontation, always aim for the head, they wear body armor.
Really stupid advice--no one take it please. You'll be dead so fast! John Carter knows nothing about the use of a weapon. If you have time to aim, you're not in an emergency situation, and "aiming" for the smallest part of the body will 9 times out of ten be a miss with a handgun. Absolutely aim for the torso and fire at least three shots rapidly--body armor or no, that will stop them.
I can hit an orange at 50 yards. A head is the size of a pumpkin. I can shoot a coin tossed into the air, 10 out of 10. That requires aiming, quickly. I'm sure there are incompetent people who can't properly shoot. It does take constant practice to maintain one's skill. I shoot 500 rounds a week. How about you?
I also know that guns can point both ways. In Vietnam, people shot at me, and I shot at them. When it counted, they missed, I didn't. No brag, just fact. If you can't guide every bullet to its intended target, your name is gunshot victim.
Interesting view points on how cops are perceived from around the country. In my small community it's easy to see them as, well, normal. Wife, kids, home all the same as the rest of us. There has been some bad apples over the years but probably a better percentage than civilians imho.