UPD Alert: Man Posing As Cop Pulls Woman Over In North Utica

An alert from Utica Police after a suspicious man posing as a police officer pulled a woman over this weekend near Riverside Center in North Utica.

He was driving a dark green pickup truck with a strobe light and loud speaker attached, and claimed to be conducting DWI enforcement.

After telling the woman to get out of her car, the man abruptly left the scene after realizing the woman's daughter was also in the vehicle.

According to UPD:

The woman said she stopped because she thought she was being pulled over by police. The victim went on to say that a white male exited the pickup truck, identified himself as a police officer and said that he was part of a DWI Program. The suspicious male also asked her to step out of her car. The woman informed this person that she had not been drinking and just left the Walmart with her daughter, who was also in the vehicle. Once the suspicious male looked inside the vehicle and saw that there was in-fact a passenger in the vehicle, he immediately turned away, got into his vehicle and sped off west bound on Route 49 towards Marcy.

The woman described this person, who claimed to be a police officer, as a white male approximately 5’6 tall, with sandy blond hair, wearing a Khaki coat with a fur collar, and a badge hanging down in front (chest area).

The Utica Police Department does not utilize unmarked vehicles for DWI enforcement traffic stops, nor do our officers dress in the type of uniform that was described, a release from police said. The statement continued: We are also not aware of any other law enforcement agency that would utilize such practices as well. If seen we ask that you please call 911 immediately.