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** Lupin poses as Zenigata again, in the Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket episode [[Recap/LupinIIIS2E145 ''Albatross: Wings of Death'']], where he uses the disguise to try to get Prof. Lumbach to tell him about his bomb manufacturing plant. Lumbach stalls by pretending to fall for it, to buy time for the real Zenigata to show up!
** And he poses as the inspector one last time, in the ''Red Jacket'' series finale "Aloha Lupin", to track down a group of imposters who were impersonating him [[CaperCrew and his gang]].
** And he poses as the inspector one last time, in the ''Red Jacket'' series finale "Aloha Lupin", to track down a group of imposters who were impersonating him [[CaperCrew and his gang]].
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** Lupin poses as Zenigata again, in the Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket episode [[Recap/LupinIIIS2E145 ''Albatross: ''[[Recap/LupinIIIS2E145 Albatross: Wings of Death'']], Death]]'', where he uses the disguise to try to get Prof. Lumbach to tell him about his bomb manufacturing plant. Lumbach stalls by pretending to fall for it, to buy time for the real Zenigata to show up!
**And he Lupin poses as the inspector one last time, Inspector again in the ''Red Jacket'' Red Jacket series finale "Aloha Lupin", ''[[Recap/LupinIIIS2E155 Aloha Lupin]]'', to track down a group of imposters who were impersonating him [[CaperCrew and his gang]].gang]].
**
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** Lupin poses as Zenigata again, in the ''Red Jacket'' episode "Albatross: Wings of Death", where he uses the disguise to try to get Prof. Lumbach to tell him about [[spoiler:his bomb manufacturing plant.]] Lumbach stalls by pretending to fall for it, to [[spoiler:buy time for the real Zenigata to show up!]]
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** Lupin poses as Zenigata again, in the ''Red Jacket'' Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket episode "Albatross: [[Recap/LupinIIIS2E145 ''Albatross: Wings of Death", Death'']], where he uses the disguise to try to get Prof. Lumbach to tell him about [[spoiler:his his bomb manufacturing plant.]] plant. Lumbach stalls by pretending to fall for it, to [[spoiler:buy buy time for the real Zenigata to show up!]]up!
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[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''TheJokerBlogs'', The Joker and Ted the bum do this after getting caught in a police shootout. HilarityEnsues when [[spoiler:Jeremiah Arkham, who had escaped from their previous vehicle, ran to their car for aid and was quickly recaptured.]]
[[/folder]]
* In ''TheJokerBlogs'', The Joker and Ted the bum do this after getting caught in a police shootout. HilarityEnsues when [[spoiler:Jeremiah Arkham, who had escaped from their previous vehicle, ran to their car for aid and was quickly recaptured.]]
[[/folder]]
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* ''Film/TheUntouchables'': Frank Nitti disguises himself as a police officer to assassinate the book-keeper the Untouchables have persuaded to testify.
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** Three episodes later, this gets subverted when it turns out the security guards attacking the Sailor Soldiers are not only fake cops, they're also fake ''humans''! That's right, Jedite created them from scratch and sent them to attack the Sailor Soldiers as part of a backup BatmanGambit in case they ended up defeating him. Unfortunately for him, after his defeat, an impatient Queen Beryl committed an act of BondVillainStupidity, and he became just another case of DeathBySecretIdentity.
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** Three episodes later, this gets subverted when it turns out the security guards attacking the Sailor Soldiers are not only fake cops, they're also fake ''humans''! That's right, Jedite created them from scratch and sent them to attack the Sailor Soldiers as part of a backup BatmanGambit in case they ended up defeating him. Unfortunately for him, after his defeat, an impatient Queen Beryl committed [[YouHaveFailedMe an act act]] of BondVillainStupidity, and he became just another case of DeathBySecretIdentity.
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* ''Series/{{Threshold}}'': Agents of the eponymous agency usually pretend to be working for a federal agency whose [[NoSuchAgency very existence isn't classified]], most often the FBI or the Department of Agriculture. However, they have authorization to do this.
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[[folder:FanWorks]]
* ''FanFic/PointOfSuccession'', a ''Manga/DeathNote'' AlternateUniverseFic, has Matt impersonate a cop under L's orders.
[[/folder]]
* ''FanFic/PointOfSuccession'', a ''Manga/DeathNote'' AlternateUniverseFic, has Matt impersonate a cop under L's orders.
[[/folder]]
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* In ''Film/MidnightRun'' Walsh and Mardukas pretend to be FBI agents so they can "confiscate some counterfeit money".
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* In the JohnConnolly novel ''Literature/EveryDeadThing'' Louis gains the trust of a possible witness by flashing a gym membership and claiming it's a badge.
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* In ''Film/IronMan3'' Ellen Brandt tries to impersonate a Homeland Security agent to cover her abduction of Tony.
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* ''Series/CsiNy'': Shane Casey escapes from jail during a prison riot by getting a friend on the outside to smuggle him an NYPD uniform, which he uses for several episodes afterwards.
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* One episode of the '60s version of ''Radio/{{Dragnet}}'' had a pair of scam artists going about impersonating Federal Reserve bank inspectors. Gannon poses as a mark and asks the fake inspectors if they're carrying identification.
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* One episode of the '60s version of ''Radio/{{Dragnet}}'' ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' had a pair of scam artists going about impersonating Federal Reserve bank inspectors. Gannon poses as a mark and asks the fake inspectors if they're carrying identification.
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* One episode of the '60s version of ''Radio/{{Dragnet}}'' had a pair of scam artists going about impersonating Federal Reserve bank inspectors. Gannon poses as a mark and asks the fake inspectors if they're carrying identification.
--> '''Con artist:''' We always carry it. ''(gets out fake credentials)''\\
'''Joe Friday:''' ''(comes in from the next room with his badge out)'' So do we. You're under arrest.
--> '''Con artist:''' We always carry it. ''(gets out fake credentials)''\\
'''Joe Friday:''' ''(comes in from the next room with his badge out)'' So do we. You're under arrest.
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* ''Anime/SailorMoon'':
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* ''Anime/SailorMoon'':''Manga/SailorMoon'':
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->''I sometimes forget I'm not ''actually'' a cop.''
->--'''Rick Castle''', ''Series/{{Castle}}''
A wide variety of characters behave as if they are actual police officers and detectives or otherwise overstep their bounds, particularly the AmateurSleuth (''Murder She Wrote'') and technicians (''{{CSI}}'', ''Quincy'', ''CrossingJordan'').
Real police tend to take a very dim view of this practice. However, as was once said of ''Franchise/StarTrek'''s habit of sending the command staff into dangerous situations, if you're paying for the stars, you damn well better use them.
If you're looking for the ''offense'' of impersonating cops, look no further than the BavarianFireDrill.
Impersonation of military officers is also viewed as a serious military crime in all forces. Several fictitious and real examples are added below, along with the motivations behind them.
->--'''Rick Castle''', ''Series/{{Castle}}''
A wide variety of characters behave as if they are actual police officers and detectives or otherwise overstep their bounds, particularly the AmateurSleuth (''Murder She Wrote'') and technicians (''{{CSI}}'', ''Quincy'', ''CrossingJordan'').
Real police tend to take a very dim view of this practice. However, as was once said of ''Franchise/StarTrek'''s habit of sending the command staff into dangerous situations, if you're paying for the stars, you damn well better use them.
If you're looking for the ''offense'' of impersonating cops, look no further than the BavarianFireDrill.
Impersonation of military officers is also viewed as a serious military crime in all forces. Several fictitious and real examples are added below, along with the motivations behind them.
to:
->--'''Rick Castle''', ''Series/{{Castle}}''
A wide variety of characters behave as if they
Real
''Not!'' Surprise, surprise; sometimes by way of a TraitorShot, the police
If you're looking for the ''offense'' of impersonating cops, look no further than the BavarianFireDrill.
Impersonation of military
Related to FalseFlagOperation or DressingAsTheEnemy. Compare BavarianFireDrill, a.k.a. getting people to do what you want by acting like an authority. Unrelated to NoBadgeNoProblem, which is where someone affiliated with the
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[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'': Cover Art for one issue showed a little kid who had dressed up like JudgeDredd, presumably in an act of hero-worship. Dredd was also in the picture, saying: "Impersonating an Officer. Sentence; fifteen years in the Juve Cubes." Yes, he was handcuffing the kid at the time.
* ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'': Cover Art for one issue showed a little kid who had dressed up like JudgeDredd, presumably in an act of hero-worship. Dredd was also in the picture, saying: "Impersonating an Officer. Sentence; fifteen years in the Juve Cubes." Yes, he was handcuffing the kid at the time.
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*
** In ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'', Lupin infiltrates the titular castle by posing as Zenigata, claiming that the real one Gustav saw was an imposter. It works. Gustav falls for it and attacks Zenigata and his men, allowing Lupin to slip inside unnoticed.
** Lupin also pulls this twice in ''Anime/LupinIIITheSecretOfTwilightGemini'':
*** The first happens, near the beginning, where he disguises himself as one
*** The other happens about halfway through the film, when he disguises himself as a
** Lupin poses as Zenigata again, in the ''Red Jacket'' episode "Albatross: Wings of Death", where he uses the disguise to try to get Prof. Lumbach to tell him about [[spoiler:his bomb manufacturing plant.]] Lumbach stalls by pretending to fall for it, to [[spoiler:buy time for the real Zenigata to show up!]]
** And he poses as the inspector one last time, in the ''Red Jacket'' series finale "Aloha Lupin", to track down a group of imposters who were impersonating him [[CaperCrew and his gang]].
* ''Anime/SailorMoon'':
** The debut episode for Sailor Mars includes a heroic example. When Bunny Tsukino finds out that the disappearing buses had
** Three episodes later, this gets subverted when it turns out the security guards attacking the Sailor Soldiers are not only fake cops, they're also fake ''humans''! That's right, Jedite created them from scratch and sent them to attack the Sailor Soldiers as part of a backup BatmanGambit in case they ended up defeating him. Unfortunately for him, after his defeat, an impatient Queen Beryl committed an act of
* In an early chapter of ''Manga/{{Psyren}}'' a pair of goons show up at Ageha Yoshina's school trying to get his Psyren card. They flash fake police badges, but luckily for Ageha one of his classmates is the
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[[folder: Film ]]
* ''Film/EightMM'': The private eye protagonist poses as a government investigator. As he's working for a highly-paying client, he thinks it's worth the risk. Towards the end of the movie he claims to be a police officer when ringing around the hospitals looking for the man he stabbed, but by that stage he's so personally involved in the case he doesn't give a damn.
* In ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', the AncientConspiracy seems incredibly powerful, when first introduced with members appearing to be CIA, FBI, etc. Later in the film, it becomes clear they're just a bunch of well-funded vigilantes who carry around a bunch of fake I.D.s.
* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'': Captain Jack Sparrow's sentencing at the end of the first movie includes "Impersonating an officer of the Royal Navy" and "Impersonating a cleric of the Church of England."
* This happens a few times in the ''{{Terminator}}'' series. The bad machines (and occasionally the good ones) dress up as cops to get where they need to be without causing chaos on the way.
* Both ''Film/ManiacCop'' and ''Film/PsychoCop'' has killers who dress like cops to get near their victims.
* An especially scary version in the film ''Copycat'', where the killer disguises himself as a ''dead'' police officer in order to escape detection by another cop.
* It's believed that the above example is a reference to a similar scene in ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', in which Hannibal Lecter disguises himself as an injured police officer in order to escape custody.
* Charlie Hewitt from the 2003 remake of TexasChainsawMassacre and its prequel, killed the local sherrif Hoyt and then stole his clothes, identity, guns, badge, and police car. He uses this new identity to lure victims off the road and bring them to Leatherface.
* ''Film/EightMM'': The private eye protagonist poses as a government investigator. As he's working for a highly-paying client, he thinks it's worth the risk. Towards the end of the movie he claims to be a police officer when ringing around the hospitals looking for the man he stabbed, but by that stage he's so personally involved in the case he doesn't give a damn.
* In ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', the AncientConspiracy seems incredibly powerful, when first introduced with members appearing to be CIA, FBI, etc. Later in the film, it becomes clear they're just a bunch of well-funded vigilantes who carry around a bunch of fake I.D.s.
* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'': Captain Jack Sparrow's sentencing at the end of the first movie includes "Impersonating an officer of the Royal Navy" and "Impersonating a cleric of the Church of England."
* This happens a few times in the ''{{Terminator}}'' series. The bad machines (and occasionally the good ones) dress up as cops to get where they need to be without causing chaos on the way.
* Both ''Film/ManiacCop'' and ''Film/PsychoCop'' has killers who dress like cops to get near their victims.
* An especially scary version in the film ''Copycat'', where the killer disguises himself as a ''dead'' police officer in order to escape detection by another cop.
* It's believed that the above example is a reference to a similar scene in ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', in which Hannibal Lecter disguises himself as an injured police officer in order to escape custody.
* Charlie Hewitt from the 2003 remake of TexasChainsawMassacre and its prequel, killed the local sherrif Hoyt and then stole his clothes, identity, guns, badge, and police car. He uses this new identity to lure victims off the road and bring them to Leatherface.
to:
*
* In ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', the AncientConspiracy seems incredibly powerful, when first introduced with members appearing to be CIA, FBI, etc. Later in the film, it becomes clear they're just a bunch of well-funded vigilantes who carry around a bunch of
* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'': Captain Jack Sparrow's sentencing at
* This happens a few times in the ''{{Terminator}}'' series. The bad machines (and occasionally the good ones) dress up as cops to get where they need to be without causing chaos on the way.
* Both ''Film/ManiacCop'' and ''Film/PsychoCop'' has killers who dress like cops to get near their victims.
* An especially scary version in the film ''Copycat'', where the killer disguises himself as a ''dead'' police officer in order to escape detection by another cop.
* It's believed that the above example is a reference to a similar scene in ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', in which Hannibal Lecter disguises himself as an injured police officer in order to escape custody.
* Charlie Hewitt from the 2003 remake of TexasChainsawMassacre and its prequel, killed the local sherrif Hoyt and then stole his clothes, identity, guns, badge, and police car. He uses this new identity to lure victims off the road and bring them to Leatherface.
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[[folder: Literature ]]
* ''DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency'': Dirk does this as part of the workings of his Holistic Detective Agency when he has a mystery that actually interests him rather than one that involves tricking old ladies into letting their cats loose. The local inspector Sergeant Gilks takes a rather dim view of this... along with Dirk's tendencies to be involved in highly peculiar situations that Gilks does not like very much in the first place, as well as his habits of removing or obscuring evidence...
* ''Literature/MenAtArms'' offers the ''{{Discworld}}'' example of Lance-Constable Carrot Ironfoundersson, who in the absence of Captain Vimes assumes command not only of the night watch, but also the whole City Watch and an increasingly large and well-weaponed Citizens' Militia. He does this by force of personality and the (unspoken) fact that he is the heir to the throne of Ankh-Morpork. Effectively he is assuming a police rank he has no official title to, but he is only called out twice: once when Sergeant Fred Colon attempts to re-assert ''his'' superior rank (but Fred bows to the inevitable and ends up calling Carrot "sir" and taking his orders). A second attempt is made by the soon-to-be-disgraced Captain Quirke, but Carrot deals directly with this. The next morning, even Lord Vetinari is certain Carrot is out to usurp ''his'' rank too...
* ''DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency'': Dirk does this as part of the workings of his Holistic Detective Agency when he has a mystery that actually interests him rather than one that involves tricking old ladies into letting their cats loose. The local inspector Sergeant Gilks takes a rather dim view of this... along with Dirk's tendencies to be involved in highly peculiar situations that Gilks does not like very much in the first place, as well as his habits of removing or obscuring evidence...
* ''Literature/MenAtArms'' offers the ''{{Discworld}}'' example of Lance-Constable Carrot Ironfoundersson, who in the absence of Captain Vimes assumes command not only of the night watch, but also the whole City Watch and an increasingly large and well-weaponed Citizens' Militia. He does this by force of personality and the (unspoken) fact that he is the heir to the throne of Ankh-Morpork. Effectively he is assuming a police rank he has no official title to, but he is only called out twice: once when Sergeant Fred Colon attempts to re-assert ''his'' superior rank (but Fred bows to the inevitable and ends up calling Carrot "sir" and taking his orders). A second attempt is made by the soon-to-be-disgraced Captain Quirke, but Carrot deals directly with this. The next morning, even Lord Vetinari is certain Carrot is out to usurp ''his'' rank too...
to:
*
* ''Literature/MenAtArms'' offers the ''{{Discworld}}''
* In ''Film/TheStreetfighter's Last Revenge'', shortly after being double-crossed by
* As seen in a flashback, Chow pulling one off sets the
* Film/InspectorGadget, meet your EvilTwin Robo-Gadget, who's not so much impersonating a police
* ''Film/ThingsToDoInDenverWhenYoureDead'' had two main characters pose as police officers to stop their mark. Given that one of the criminals had a short fuse, it went FromBadToWorse very fast for everybody involved, putting into motion the main plot of the movie.
* ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'': Clearly the favorite form for the T-1000 Terminator to take is that of a Los Angeles patrolman. Not surprisingly, an LAPD cop was the first person the T-1000 encountered upon arrival from its time-travel. That form also avails the T-1000 to plentiful information and resources.
* ''Film/DickTracy''. Several of Big Boy Caprice's henchmen dress up as police officers, "arrest" Lips Manlis and take him to a warehouse to be murdered.
* The main villain of the ''Film/ManiacCop'' slasher movie franchise is an [[RevenantZombie undead]] former police officer who was framed for PoliceBrutality and still dresses in his old uniform while he carries out
* ''Film/PsychoCop'' has a similar premise, although the killer is mortal (or as close to
* ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'':
** As Ra's al Ghul claims in ''Film/BatmanBegins'', Bruce Wayne is trying to defend "a city so corrupt [the League of Shadows] infiltrated every level of its infrastructure. Effortlessly." How effortlessly? The district attorney, Carl Finch, was ''assassinated by what appeared to be a police officer''.
** In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', this is part of SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker's assassination plot against Mayor Garcia at [[spoiler:Commissioner Loeb's funeral]]. Fortunately, Jim Gordon figured out that something was up just by reading an obituary the Joker had typed up for Garcia, came to the
* When we first meet Harry in ''Film/HomeAlone'', he poses as a cop, check in on all the
* In ''Film/RunningScared'', the drug dealer Julio Gonzalez has his men capture the police officers guarding a government building and put on their uniforms to masquerade as them. He then uses the building as the location to trade a woman he captured for the cocaine the protagonists seized.
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[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Angel would occasionally walk right into crime scenes and start ordering cops about as if he ''ought'' to be there, then demand that one of them give him a run-down of the crime scene. He, however, knew that this was a BavarianFireDrill and expected to get in trouble if called on it.
* Averted in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', in which they ''do'' have authorization to be at crime scenes, but the police aren't happy about it (it doesn't help that they're [[{{Masquerade}} not quite sure what Torchwood actually does]]). In one episode, [[spoiler:Jack has to call the police for help when everyone but Gwen winds up locked in the base with no power; the officer who takes the call puts it on speaker and calls the entire station over to mock them]].
* In almost every post-revival episode of ''Series/DoctorWho'' where the Doctor has any interaction whatsoever with human authority, he manages to take charge of said authority within about thirty seconds. Assuming the authority is not the villain, of course. UNIT, long used to the Doctor, will salute him but don't always let him take charge immediately.
* The guys on ''{{Hustle}}'' do this with some regularity, Mickey even makes his cruise from England to Australia by imperonating a Royal Navy Officer.
* Similarly to Hustle the team on ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' frequently portray law enforcement officers as part of the con. Notably, a pair of real FBI agents believe that Hardison and Parker are on undercover assignments when they are in fact thieves.
* Happened in ''{{Ally McBeal}}'' once when two of the attorneys were present during an arrest. They were promptly arrested as well.
-->'''Fish:''' What was I supposed to do? Yell "Lawyer"?
* ''{{Tracker}}'' uses this extensively, with Mel and Cole using old police badges (from the walls of the Watchfire Policeman's bar) to pull off the trick.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': The brothers have this down to an artform: the older brother Dean even has an entire box filled with fake [=IDs=], just in case he needs it (Which he frequently does). If anyone questions their authority or jurisdiction, they can give him/her the number of their 'superior' to confirm who they are. Their friend Bobby has a bank of phones in his home that these numbers connect to and he then impersonates the appropriate agency (FBI, CDC, Homeland Security, etc).
* In ''Series/{{Castle}}'', although merely a shadowing writer Castle has been given a lot of responsibility within the unit, including questioning witnesses and examining evidence and crime scenes (albeit always with Beckett observing him). Lampshaded in one episode where he excitedly calls a newspaper to acquire confidential information after a brainwave, only to stop when they ask him who he is and hand the phone over to Beckett, sheepishly admitting that "I sometimes forget I'm not actually a cop." Later seasons offer a HandWave for this by having the detective characters refer to Castle as a 'consultant', suggesting the department actively employs him (albeit probably without ''paying'' him) on a semi-official basis to consult for them rather than just letting him tag along as a writer. This theory is further cemented by the fact that in later seasons Beckett explicitly refers to Castle as her partner, and vice versa; no cop would use that word lightly, suggesting that Castle does have some official standing at the station. Furthermore, Castle is still helping question suspects in seasons four and five, something the very by-the-book Captain Gates would have put a stop to instantly if he didn't have the authorization to be there.
* ''Series/{{Threshold}}'': The team actually have authorization to impersonate agencies whose existence is not classified. The FBI is the most common, but they've also used the FDA and Department of Agriculture.
* An episode of ''ThirdWatch'' had the cops hunting for a pair of rapists who would pose as cops so that they could pull women over and assault them.
** As mentioned below in the RealLife section, this is a real tactic and has been used by people ranging from Anders Breivik (the Oslo gunman) to Ted Bundy. Check the badges, people.
* [[SerialKiller George Marks]] on ''Series/ColdCase'' employed this trope to lure his victims away with him.
* ''NewTricks'': Brian, Jack and Gerry are retired police officers and are usually pretty good at identifying themselves as such. However, they do work for the police department as investigators so they have the official authority to question people and access police records.
* Patrick Jayne of the ''Mentalist'' will usually inform people that he is merely a consultant and not an actual police officer. However, when he deems it necessary he has no qualms about letting people think that he is a full CBI agent.
* ''MarriedWithChildren'': Al Bundy donned the uniform once so he could be part of the show "COPS".
* ''ParksAndRecreation'': In an attempt to coerce a confession out of local juvenile delinquent Greg Pikitis, Andy says he is FBI Agent Bert Macklin. [[spoiler: The next time we see "Bert" and Greg, Greg has him near tears.]]
* In ''{{Sherlock}}'', the titular character has an entire box full of New Scotland Yard [=IDs=] that he pinches from [[FriendOnTheForce Lestrade]] "when he's being particularly annoying." He uses one such [=ID=] in the first episode, though the civilian he flashed the badge at was not terribly convinced.
* In an epsiode of ''BurnNotice'', Michael does this to trick a bunch of ''police officers''. He was breaking in to a fusion center to gather info on his new boss, when the officers figured out that there was someone unauthorized running loose in the building, so he broke out a window, donned a police jacket, and told a rookie that the guy had jumped out said window, before slipping out, all while explaining, through voiceover, why such a plan would work.
* ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' had a case with a man who was pretending to be Officer Gideon Dengle, though he was actually doing good deeds. By the time they managed to catch him, he'd switched to impersonating a firefighter.
** And more sinisterly, Friday and Gannon busted an extortion ring who had 2 men posing as vice cops (and a female accomplice) to "bust" out-of-town businessmen for solicitation. They were ballsy enough to take the mark to LAPD Headquarters to help cement their charade.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Although not a police officer and partially subverted in the episode "[=JAGathon=]", in which an enlisted Navy corpsman who had bought an officer's uniform at a second-hand store saves a Marine's life in a traffic accident, only to be recognized by an ''actual'' Navy officer and taken into custody. It didn't help that he was still wearing his silver Surface Warfare insignia (officer's insignia are gold, while enlisted wear silver).
* In the ''Series/EverDecreasingCircles'' episode "Neighbourhood Watch", a man Howard and Hilda catch climbing over the back wall of a jeweller's shop claims to be a Detective Inspector in the Metropolitan Police, and, after getting information from Martin about the home security for every house in the Close, invites the members of the watch to a function at the Ritz. However, Paul notices that the function room on the invitation doesn't actually exist and alerts the local police, who are able to arrest the fake policeman and his accomplices before any damage can be done.
* ''Series/The Sentinel.'' Blair Sandburg is at first an 'observer', and later a 'consultant', but is frequently reminded by the others that he's not a cop.
* On ''Series/Murder She Wrote'', once when the Sheriff brought Jessica along to question a suspect, the latter said, "Has Mrs. Fletcher been deputized?" He replied, "No, but that could be arranged."
* In an episode of ''{{Lovejoy}}'', an ex-copper turned conman uses his old warrant card to bluff his way into the home of a grieving bereaved widow, in order to blackmail her with some incriminating evidence, making out he's a bent cop (he is: that's why he was sacked) and there's no point going to the local police as his senior officers are on the take too.
* A different sort of impersonating an officer happens in ''Series/SoldierSoldier''. The roguish Fusilier Dave Tucker (Robson Greene) is persuaded by several junior subalterns to carry off the impersonation of an Army officer. They think this will be a huge laugh, and get "Lieutenant" Tucker into the Officers' Mess of a rival unit, where he just about carries off the deception. Unfortunately, Tucker is caught re-entering his own barracks by the [[SergeantRock Regimental Sergeant-Major]] who knows damn well a private soldier does not get to be legitimately promoted to officer rank overnight. As impersonating a higher rank is a serious military offence, Tucker is in serious trouble. The Colonel thinks so too, but saves his wrath for the subalterns who should have damn well known better.
* On ''MyNameIsEarl'', Earl recalls the time he stole an officer's badge at the bowling alley. When Earl and his friends see that businesses in Camden generally give freebies and special treatment to cops, they decide to keep the badge.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Angel would occasionally walk right into crime scenes and start ordering cops about as if he ''ought'' to be there, then demand that one of them give him a run-down of the crime scene. He, however, knew that this was a BavarianFireDrill and expected to get in trouble if called on it.
* Averted in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', in which they ''do'' have authorization to be at crime scenes, but the police aren't happy about it (it doesn't help that they're [[{{Masquerade}} not quite sure what Torchwood actually does]]). In one episode, [[spoiler:Jack has to call the police for help when everyone but Gwen winds up locked in the base with no power; the officer who takes the call puts it on speaker and calls the entire station over to mock them]].
* In almost every post-revival episode of ''Series/DoctorWho'' where the Doctor has any interaction whatsoever with human authority, he manages to take charge of said authority within about thirty seconds. Assuming the authority is not the villain, of course. UNIT, long used to the Doctor, will salute him but don't always let him take charge immediately.
* The guys on ''{{Hustle}}'' do this with some regularity, Mickey even makes his cruise from England to Australia by imperonating a Royal Navy Officer.
* Similarly to Hustle the team on ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' frequently portray law enforcement officers as part of the con. Notably, a pair of real FBI agents believe that Hardison and Parker are on undercover assignments when they are in fact thieves.
* Happened in ''{{Ally McBeal}}'' once when two of the attorneys were present during an arrest. They were promptly arrested as well.
-->'''Fish:''' What was I supposed to do? Yell "Lawyer"?
* ''{{Tracker}}'' uses this extensively, with Mel and Cole using old police badges (from the walls of the Watchfire Policeman's bar) to pull off the trick.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': The brothers have this down to an artform: the older brother Dean even has an entire box filled with fake [=IDs=], just in case he needs it (Which he frequently does). If anyone questions their authority or jurisdiction, they can give him/her the number of their 'superior' to confirm who they are. Their friend Bobby has a bank of phones in his home that these numbers connect to and he then impersonates the appropriate agency (FBI, CDC, Homeland Security, etc).
* In ''Series/{{Castle}}'', although merely a shadowing writer Castle has been given a lot of responsibility within the unit, including questioning witnesses and examining evidence and crime scenes (albeit always with Beckett observing him). Lampshaded in one episode where he excitedly calls a newspaper to acquire confidential information after a brainwave, only to stop when they ask him who he is and hand the phone over to Beckett, sheepishly admitting that "I sometimes forget I'm not actually a cop." Later seasons offer a HandWave for this by having the detective characters refer to Castle as a 'consultant', suggesting the department actively employs him (albeit probably without ''paying'' him) on a semi-official basis to consult for them rather than just letting him tag along as a writer. This theory is further cemented by the fact that in later seasons Beckett explicitly refers to Castle as her partner, and vice versa; no cop would use that word lightly, suggesting that Castle does have some official standing at the station. Furthermore, Castle is still helping question suspects in seasons four and five, something the very by-the-book Captain Gates would have put a stop to instantly if he didn't have the authorization to be there.
* ''Series/{{Threshold}}'': The team actually have authorization to impersonate agencies whose existence is not classified. The FBI is the most common, but they've also used the FDA and Department of Agriculture.
* An episode of ''ThirdWatch'' had the cops hunting for a pair of rapists who would pose as cops so that they could pull women over and assault them.
** As mentioned below in the RealLife section, this is a real tactic and has been used by people ranging from Anders Breivik (the Oslo gunman) to Ted Bundy. Check the badges, people.
* [[SerialKiller George Marks]] on ''Series/ColdCase'' employed this trope to lure his victims away with him.
* ''NewTricks'': Brian, Jack and Gerry are retired police officers and are usually pretty good at identifying themselves as such. However, they do work for the police department as investigators so they have the official authority to question people and access police records.
* Patrick Jayne of the ''Mentalist'' will usually inform people that he is merely a consultant and not an actual police officer. However, when he deems it necessary he has no qualms about letting people think that he is a full CBI agent.
* ''MarriedWithChildren'': Al Bundy donned the uniform once so he could be part of the show "COPS".
* ''ParksAndRecreation'': In an attempt to coerce a confession out of local juvenile delinquent Greg Pikitis, Andy says he is FBI Agent Bert Macklin. [[spoiler: The next time we see "Bert" and Greg, Greg has him near tears.]]
* In ''{{Sherlock}}'', the titular character has an entire box full of New Scotland Yard [=IDs=] that he pinches from [[FriendOnTheForce Lestrade]] "when he's being particularly annoying." He uses one such [=ID=] in the first episode, though the civilian he flashed the badge at was not terribly convinced.
* In an epsiode of ''BurnNotice'', Michael does this to trick a bunch of ''police officers''. He was breaking in to a fusion center to gather info on his new boss, when the officers figured out that there was someone unauthorized running loose in the building, so he broke out a window, donned a police jacket, and told a rookie that the guy had jumped out said window, before slipping out, all while explaining, through voiceover, why such a plan would work.
* ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' had a case with a man who was pretending to be Officer Gideon Dengle, though he was actually doing good deeds. By the time they managed to catch him, he'd switched to impersonating a firefighter.
** And more sinisterly, Friday and Gannon busted an extortion ring who had 2 men posing as vice cops (and a female accomplice) to "bust" out-of-town businessmen for solicitation. They were ballsy enough to take the mark to LAPD Headquarters to help cement their charade.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Although not a police officer and partially subverted in the episode "[=JAGathon=]", in which an enlisted Navy corpsman who had bought an officer's uniform at a second-hand store saves a Marine's life in a traffic accident, only to be recognized by an ''actual'' Navy officer and taken into custody. It didn't help that he was still wearing his silver Surface Warfare insignia (officer's insignia are gold, while enlisted wear silver).
* In the ''Series/EverDecreasingCircles'' episode "Neighbourhood Watch", a man Howard and Hilda catch climbing over the back wall of a jeweller's shop claims to be a Detective Inspector in the Metropolitan Police, and, after getting information from Martin about the home security for every house in the Close, invites the members of the watch to a function at the Ritz. However, Paul notices that the function room on the invitation doesn't actually exist and alerts the local police, who are able to arrest the fake policeman and his accomplices before any damage can be done.
* ''Series/The Sentinel.'' Blair Sandburg is at first an 'observer', and later a 'consultant', but is frequently reminded by the others that he's not a cop.
* On ''Series/Murder She Wrote'', once when the Sheriff brought Jessica along to question a suspect, the latter said, "Has Mrs. Fletcher been deputized?" He replied, "No, but that could be arranged."
* In an episode of ''{{Lovejoy}}'', an ex-copper turned conman uses his old warrant card to bluff his way into the home of a grieving bereaved widow, in order to blackmail her with some incriminating evidence, making out he's a bent cop (he is: that's why he was sacked) and there's no point going to the local police as his senior officers are on the take too.
* A different sort of impersonating an officer happens in ''Series/SoldierSoldier''. The roguish Fusilier Dave Tucker (Robson Greene) is persuaded by several junior subalterns to carry off the impersonation of an Army officer. They think this will be a huge laugh, and get "Lieutenant" Tucker into the Officers' Mess of a rival unit, where he just about carries off the deception. Unfortunately, Tucker is caught re-entering his own barracks by the [[SergeantRock Regimental Sergeant-Major]] who knows damn well a private soldier does not get to be legitimately promoted to officer rank overnight. As impersonating a higher rank is a serious military offence, Tucker is in serious trouble. The Colonel thinks so too, but saves his wrath for the subalterns who should have damn well known better.
* On ''MyNameIsEarl'', Earl recalls the time he stole an officer's badge at the bowling alley. When Earl and his friends see that businesses in Camden generally give freebies and special treatment to cops, they decide to keep the badge.
to:
*
* Averted in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', in which they ''do'' have authorization to be at crime scenes, but the police aren't happy about it (it doesn't help that they're [[{{Masquerade}} not quite sure what Torchwood actually does]]). In one episode, [[spoiler:Jack has to call the police for help when everyone but Gwen winds up locked in the base with no power; the officer who takes the call puts it on speaker and calls the entire station over to mock them]].
* In almost every post-revival episode of ''Series/DoctorWho'' where the Doctor has any interaction whatsoever with human authority, he manages to take charge of said authority within about thirty seconds. Assuming the authority is not the villain, of course. UNIT, long used to the Doctor, will salute him but don't always let him take charge immediately.
* The guys on ''{{Hustle}}''
* Similarly to Hustle the team on ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' frequently portray law enforcement officers as part of the con. Notably, a pair of real FBI agents believe that Hardison and Parker are on undercover assignments when they are in fact thieves.
* Happened in ''{{Ally McBeal}}'' once when two of the attorneys were present during an arrest. They were promptly arrested as well.
-->'''Fish:''' What was I supposed to do? Yell "Lawyer"?
* ''{{Tracker}}'' uses this extensively, with Mel and Cole using old police badges (from the walls of the Watchfire Policeman's bar) to pull off the trick.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': The brothers have this down to an artform: the older brother Dean even has an entire box filled with fake [=IDs=], just in case he needs it (Which he frequently does). If anyone questions their authority or jurisdiction, they can give him/her the number of their 'superior'
* In ''Series/{{Castle}}'', although merely a shadowing writer Castle has been given a lot of responsibility within the unit, including questioning witnesses and examining evidence and crime scenes (albeit always with Beckett observing him). Lampshaded in one episode where he excitedly calls a newspaper to acquire confidential information after a brainwave, only to stop when they ask him who he is and hand the phone over to Beckett, sheepishly admitting that "I sometimes forget I'm not actually a cop." Later seasons offer a HandWave for this by having the detective characters refer to Castle as a 'consultant', suggesting the department actively employs him (albeit probably without ''paying'' him) on a semi-official basis to consult for them rather
* ''Series/{{Threshold}}'': The team actually have authorization to impersonate agencies whose existence is not classified. The FBI is the most common, but they've also used the FDA and Department of Agriculture.
* An episode of ''ThirdWatch'' had the cops hunting for a pair of rapists who would pose as cops so that they could pull women over and assault them.
** As mentioned below in the RealLife section, this is a real tactic and has been used by people ranging from Anders Breivik (the Oslo gunman) to Ted Bundy. Check the badges, people.
* [[SerialKiller George Marks]] on ''Series/ColdCase'' employed this trope to lure his victims away with him.
* ''NewTricks'': Brian, Jack and Gerry are retired police officers and are usually pretty good at identifying themselves as such.
* Patrick Jayne
* ''Literature/TheThreeInvestigators'' has a
* ''MarriedWithChildren'': Al Bundy donned
* ''ParksAndRecreation'': In an attempt to coerce a confession out of local juvenile delinquent Greg Pikitis, Andy says he is FBI Agent Bert Macklin. [[spoiler: The next time we see "Bert" and Greg, Greg has him near tears.]]
* In ''{{Sherlock}}'', the titular character has an entire box full of New Scotland Yard [=IDs=] that he pinches from [[FriendOnTheForce Lestrade]] "when he's being particularly annoying." He uses one such [=ID=] in the first episode, though the civilian he flashed the badge at was not terribly convinced.
* In an epsiode of ''BurnNotice'', Michael does this to trick a bunch of ''police officers''. He was breaking in to a fusion center to gather info on his new boss, when the officers figured out that there was someone unauthorized running loose in the building, so he broke out a window, donned a police jacket, and told a rookie that the guy had jumped out said window, before slipping out, all while explaining, through voiceover, why such a plan would work.
* ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' had a case with a man who was pretending to be Officer Gideon Dengle, though he was actually doing good deeds. By the time they managed to catch him, he'd switched to impersonating a firefighter.
** And more sinisterly, Friday and Gannon busted an extortion ring who had 2 men posing as vice cops (and a female accomplice) to "bust" out-of-town businessmen for solicitation. They were ballsy enough to take the mark to LAPD Headquarters to help cement their charade.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Although not a police officer and partially subverted in the episode "[=JAGathon=]", in which an enlisted Navy corpsman who had bought an officer's uniform at a second-hand store saves a Marine's life in a traffic accident, only to be recognized by an ''actual'' Navy officer and taken into custody. It didn't help that he was still wearing his silver Surface Warfare insignia (officer's insignia are gold, while enlisted wear silver).
* In the ''Series/EverDecreasingCircles'' episode "Neighbourhood Watch", a man Howard and Hilda catch climbing over the back wall of a jeweller's shop claims to be a Detective Inspector in the Metropolitan Police, and, after getting information from Martin about the home security for every house in the Close, invites the members of the watch to a function at the Ritz. However, Paul notices that the function room on the invitation doesn't actually exist and alerts the local police, who are able to arrest
* ''Series/The Sentinel.'' Blair Sandburg is at first an 'observer', and later a 'consultant', but is frequently reminded by the others that he's not a cop.
* On ''Series/Murder She Wrote'', once when the Sheriff brought Jessica along to question a suspect, the latter said, "Has Mrs. Fletcher been deputized?" He replied, "No, but that could be arranged."
* In an episode of ''{{Lovejoy}}'', an ex-copper turned conman uses his old warrant card to bluff his way into the home of a grieving bereaved widow, in order to blackmail her with some incriminating evidence, making out he's a bent cop (he is: that's why he was sacked) and there's no point going to the local police as his senior officers are on the take too.
* A different sort
* On ''MyNameIsEarl'', Earl recalls the time he stole an officer's badge at the bowling alley. When Earl and his friends see that businesses in Camden generally give freebies and special treatment to cops, they decide to keep the badge.
Changed line(s) 75,79 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Video Games ]]
* ''PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': Phoenix does this constantly, and often [[KleptomaniacHero swipes ''evidence'']] from the scene of the crime. However, it's implied that the law in his world differs from real-world law on this point; on several occasions he's shown receiving assistance from the police during his on-scene investigations. There's a very odd line late in game 1 where Phoenix says that he's not supposed to do that. Really? Because it didn't seem to cause you any trouble with the police all the previous times you did it. Quite often, he even ends up doing their work. Especially including using the nifty gadgets for them.
* In ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'', the Origami Killer is revealed to impersonate a police officer when abducting children, which is why nobody ever notices it. After all, a cop helping a child get home is a pretty ordinary sight.
* ''PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': Phoenix does this constantly, and often [[KleptomaniacHero swipes ''evidence'']] from the scene of the crime. However, it's implied that the law in his world differs from real-world law on this point; on several occasions he's shown receiving assistance from the police during his on-scene investigations. There's a very odd line late in game 1 where Phoenix says that he's not supposed to do that. Really? Because it didn't seem to cause you any trouble with the police all the previous times you did it. Quite often, he even ends up doing their work. Especially including using the nifty gadgets for them.
* In ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'', the Origami Killer is revealed to impersonate a police officer when abducting children, which is why nobody ever notices it. After all, a cop helping a child get home is a pretty ordinary sight.
to:
*
* ''Series/SevenDays'': Two inner city hoods steal Frank's and Olga's NSA [=IDs=], and are later seen at a bar demanding that the bartender give them a bottle of some expensive alcohol, but the bartender isn't buying it. "OK, if you're with the NSA, [[OnlyTheKnowledgableMayPass what does
* ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'': Earl stole a cop's badge and
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' Sam and Dean regularly go undercover as FBI agents (as do several other hunters), *with Bobby backstopping their aliases if someone wants to call their superior. One episode shows Bobby has a whole wall of phones labeled with each alias, though in the same episode the trope fails because it turns out the sheriff they're talking to knows Bobby.
* ''Series/{{Justified}}'':
** {{Stupid crook|s}} Dewey Crowe decides to rob two toughs who stole a large amount of drugs from the
* In ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'', the Origami Killer is revealed
** In season four, a Detroit hitman is tasked with killing Drew Thompson but no one knows what identity Drew is currently using. The hitman disguises himself as a sheriff's deputy and goes to the houses of men who could be Drew and shoots them dead. He is exposed when he tries to arrest Boyd Crowder and Raylan Givens is present. Raylan just spoke to the sheriff and the sheriff would have mentioned if he sent someone to arrest Boyd. Before Raylan can check in with the sheriff, the hitman panics, draws his gun and is shot dead by Raylan.
* In an episode of ''Series/AdamTwelve'' there's someone out there claiming to be a particular detective in the LAPD, flashing his badge around and inisiting on bribes. They aren't sure until the end of the episode whether it's really that cop turned bad or someone impersonating him. [[spoiler:It's someone impersonating him.]]
* Alluded to a few times on ''Series/ItTakesAThief2005''. Some of the homeowners who signed up for the show were either police
* In an episode of ''Series/TheListener'' a gang of robbers use fake cop
* In an episode of ''Series/BarneyMiller'', a man claiming to be a detective from the 12th precinct is accosting men as they leave gay bars and demanding money or else he'll beat them.
* ''Series/OrphanBlack'' has petty criminal Sarah witness the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her - who ends up being a seemingly loaded police detective. Wanting the money for her daughter, Sarah impersonates her and attempts to ingratiate herself into her life - it works, for the most part, until [[spoiler:the other cops catch on]]. Of course, since she and the woman were clones, it's not like Sarah had a particularly hard time of it.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Phoebe finds a cop's badge and pretends to be a cop. This works well until she tries it on [[BecauseImJonesy the cop to whom it belongs]].
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' we have the Doctor's psychic paper, a business card of sorts that appears to the reader as whatever form of ID he requires at the time. He's done everything from a simple BavarianFireDrill to more involved impersonations of plainclothes law and military officers.
* In ''Series/MissionImpossible'' members of the IM Force often impersonated police officers...as well as soldiers, security personnel and other officials.
* ''Series/{{Banshee}}'' combines this with DeadPersonImpersonation. Lucas Hood was the sheriff of a backswoods town in Oregon who decides to take the job offer of sheriff in Banshee, Pennsylvania. However, on his way into town he stops at a bar on the outskirts of Banshee and is killed by two robbers. The robbers are then killed by the protagonist, a master thief who just got out of prison and is in Banshee looking for his old girlfriend. The thief realizes that the only person in Banshee who actually knew what Hood looked like recently died of cancer, so he assumes Hood's identity and becomes the new sheriff. He has no police training but his brutal methods are quite effective against the local toughs so people just assume that he is a
* Seen repeatedly in ''Series/PersonOfInterest''.
** John Reese has repeatedly used the badge of Detective Stills, a DirtyCop he [[DeadPersonImpersonation killed in the first episode]]. He also once used the ID of Jennings, a wife-beating U.S. Marshal he deposited in a Mexican prison.
** [[TheDon Carl Elias']] number two, Anthony "Scarface" Marconi, was first seen impersonating a patrol officer.
** One episode had a pair of ex-FBI agents who had been forced out for corruption, but were now pretending to be FBI while acting as hitmen.
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[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* ''{{Fillmore}}'': The Disney Channel show is one giant use of this trope. It works in this case though, as the Safety Patrol is equivalent to police officers as the school is equal to a city. The scale keeps the show on homage level, not really impersonations.
* ''{{Fillmore}}'': The Disney Channel show is one giant use of this trope. It works in this case though, as the Safety Patrol is equivalent to police officers as the school is equal to a city. The scale keeps the show on homage level, not really impersonations.
to:
*
Changed line(s) 88,97 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Real Life ]]
* More ominously, a tactic often used by criminals hoping to entrap a victim -- Ted Bundy and the Hillside Stranglers would frequently employ it.
** This trick was used in a horrible, ''horrible'' way by the Norwegian right-wing terrorist Anders Breivik, who set off a bomb in downtown Oslo, then travelled to the island of Utøya (where the Norwegian Labour Party's annual youth camp was taking place), dressed as a police officer. Once there, he used his Impersonation of an Officer to gather a lot of people in one location, gave a talk in which he "informed" them about the earlier bombing, then started mowing down his audience with the heavy guns he had with him. Eyewitness accounts describe people who had run from the sound of gunfire running ''towards'' Breivik, because they thought he was a police officer who could protect them - only to be gunned down mercilessly. End result? Seventy-seven dead, most of them teenagers.
* An especially horrible subversion with ''real'' police officers who have used their uniforms and badges to intimidate and harm people.
* A common method of SocialEngineering. Perpetrators often pose as network/IT staff and ask for usernames and passwords, claiming to need them for troubleshooting.
** This is generally countered by actual IT staff repeatedly telling everyone to ABSOLUTELY NEVER give out passwords. [[WhatAnIdiot In some cases people respond to the emails telling them to never give out their passwords with their passwords]].
* Comedian and impersonator PeterSellers honed his craft with a military concert party, stationed in Ceylon during [=WW2=]. He was only a lowly Aircraftsman - the lowest form of life in the RAF - but he pulled off a deception similar to that attributed to Robson Greene in the TV series ''SoldierSoldier'' (above). Sellers made himself up to look thirty years older, donned the uniform not just of any old Royal Air Force officer, but of an ''[[RefugeInAudacity Air Vice Marshal]]'' - and he '''got away with it''', to the extent of having a ''real'' AVM buy him a drink. This, he claims, gave him no fears about a career in comedy.
* An Army major with a very distinct resemblance to BernardLawMontgomery was talent-scouted to double for the famous General and make very prominent public appearances, so as to confuse Axis intelligence and act as a decoy against any feared abduction attempts by German commandos.In this case, a Major impersonated a General - later a Field-Marshal - with full Army blessing. this has been the subject of a film: ''I Was Monty's Double'' - and a GoonShow parody - ''I Was Monty's Treble''.
* More ominously, a tactic often used by criminals hoping to entrap a victim -- Ted Bundy and the Hillside Stranglers would frequently employ it.
** This trick was used in a horrible, ''horrible'' way by the Norwegian right-wing terrorist Anders Breivik, who set off a bomb in downtown Oslo, then travelled to the island of Utøya (where the Norwegian Labour Party's annual youth camp was taking place), dressed as a police officer. Once there, he used his Impersonation of an Officer to gather a lot of people in one location, gave a talk in which he "informed" them about the earlier bombing, then started mowing down his audience with the heavy guns he had with him. Eyewitness accounts describe people who had run from the sound of gunfire running ''towards'' Breivik, because they thought he was a police officer who could protect them - only to be gunned down mercilessly. End result? Seventy-seven dead, most of them teenagers.
* An especially horrible subversion with ''real'' police officers who have used their uniforms and badges to intimidate and harm people.
* A common method of SocialEngineering. Perpetrators often pose as network/IT staff and ask for usernames and passwords, claiming to need them for troubleshooting.
** This is generally countered by actual IT staff repeatedly telling everyone to ABSOLUTELY NEVER give out passwords. [[WhatAnIdiot In some cases people respond to the emails telling them to never give out their passwords with their passwords]].
* Comedian and impersonator PeterSellers honed his craft with a military concert party, stationed in Ceylon during [=WW2=]. He was only a lowly Aircraftsman - the lowest form of life in the RAF - but he pulled off a deception similar to that attributed to Robson Greene in the TV series ''SoldierSoldier'' (above). Sellers made himself up to look thirty years older, donned the uniform not just of any old Royal Air Force officer, but of an ''[[RefugeInAudacity Air Vice Marshal]]'' - and he '''got away with it''', to the extent of having a ''real'' AVM buy him a drink. This, he claims, gave him no fears about a career in comedy.
* An Army major with a very distinct resemblance to BernardLawMontgomery was talent-scouted to double for the famous General and make very prominent public appearances, so as to confuse Axis intelligence and act as a decoy against any feared abduction attempts by German commandos.In this case, a Major impersonated a General - later a Field-Marshal - with full Army blessing. this has been the subject of a film: ''I Was Monty's Double'' - and a GoonShow parody - ''I Was Monty's Treble''.
to:
*
** This trick was used in a horrible, ''horrible'' way by the Norwegian right-wing terrorist Anders Breivik, who set off a bomb in downtown Oslo, then travelled to the island of Utøya (where the Norwegian Labour Party's annual youth camp was taking place), dressed
* An especially horrible subversion with ''real'' police officers who have used their uniforms and badges to intimidate and harm people.
* A common method of SocialEngineering. Perpetrators often pose as network/IT staff and ask for usernames and passwords, claiming to need them for troubleshooting.
** This is generally countered by actual IT staff repeatedly telling everyone to ABSOLUTELY NEVER give out passwords. [[WhatAnIdiot In some cases people respond to the emails telling them to never give out their passwords with their passwords]].
* Comedian and impersonator PeterSellers honed his craft with a military concert party, stationed in Ceylon during [=WW2=]. He was only a lowly Aircraftsman - the lowest form of life in the RAF - but he pulled off a deception similar to that attributed to Robson Greene in the TV series ''SoldierSoldier'' (above). Sellers made himself up to look thirty years older, donned the uniform not just of any old Royal Air Force officer, but of an ''[[RefugeInAudacity Air Vice Marshal]]'' - and he '''got away with it''', to the extent of having a ''real'' AVM buy him a drink. This, he claims, gave him no fears about a career in comedy.
* An Army major with a very distinct resemblance to BernardLawMontgomery was talent-scouted to double for the famous General and make very prominent public appearances, so as to confuse Axis intelligence and act as a decoy against any feared abduction attempts by German commandos.In this case, a Major impersonated a General - later a Field-Marshal - with full Army blessing. this has been the subject of a film: ''I Was Monty's Double'' - and a GoonShow parody - ''I Was Monty's Treble''.
Added DiffLines:
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' shows people from the criminal organization KOBRA dressing up as cops to get Batman to willingly hand over a boy they've been targeting, who knows what Batman looks like under his mask.
* Cartman's brief impersonation of a police officer in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. He dressed like a police officer (complete with [[CoolShades aviator sunglasses]]) and pulled people over in his big wheel. When they inevitably figured out that he wasn't a real cop, he'd start beating them with a baton.
-->"''RESPECT MY AUTHORIT-AH!''"
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is TruthInTelevision, with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impersonating_an_officer the legal offense]] subdivided into verbally claiming you're a cop, using a fake badge or warrant card, using a fake or stolen uniform, and using a fake or stolen police vehicle. The laws regarding this vary by jurisdiction: in Michigan, for example, it's only considered a felony if you're impersonating an officer while committing a different crime.
* The 1929 "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre". Killers hired by Al Capone's gang dressed as police officers, captured members of the North Side gang and executed them.
[[/folder]]
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' shows people from the criminal organization KOBRA dressing up as cops to get Batman to willingly hand over a boy they've been targeting, who knows what Batman looks like under his mask.
* Cartman's brief impersonation of a police officer in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. He dressed like a police officer (complete with [[CoolShades aviator sunglasses]]) and pulled people over in his big wheel. When they inevitably figured out that he wasn't a real cop, he'd start beating them with a baton.
-->"''RESPECT MY AUTHORIT-AH!''"
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is TruthInTelevision, with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impersonating_an_officer the legal offense]] subdivided into verbally claiming you're a cop, using a fake badge or warrant card, using a fake or stolen uniform, and using a fake or stolen police vehicle. The laws regarding this vary by jurisdiction: in Michigan, for example, it's only considered a felony if you're impersonating an officer while committing a different crime.
* The 1929 "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre". Killers hired by Al Capone's gang dressed as police officers, captured members of the North Side gang and executed them.
[[/folder]]
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* On ''MyNameIsEarl'', Earl recalls the time he stole an officer's badge at the bowling alley. When Earl and his friends see that businesses in Camden generally give freebies and special treatment to cops, they decide to keep the badge.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* Charlie Hewitt from the 2003 remake of TexasChainsawMassacre and its prequel, killed the local sherrif Hoyt and then stole his clothes, identity, guns, badge, and police car. He uses this new identity to lure victims off the road and bring them to Leatherface.
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* In ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'', the Origami Killer is revealed to impersonate a police officer when abducting children, which is why nobody ever notices it. After all, a cop helping a child get home is a pretty ordinary sight.
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Never mind
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[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
* This is a favorite tactic of Manga/LupinIII; much to Inspector Zenigata's chagrin, he is Lupin's favorite disguise. [[Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro At one point, he even uses the disguise]] [[WeNeedADistraction to create a diversion]].
[[/folder]]
* This is a favorite tactic of Manga/LupinIII; much to Inspector Zenigata's chagrin, he is Lupin's favorite disguise. [[Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro At one point, he even uses the disguise]] [[WeNeedADistraction to create a diversion]].
[[/folder]]
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* ''Film/TheWrongArmOfTheLaw'' centers on a gang of Australian crooks whose schtick involves upsetting and flagrantly violating the established rules of the cops and robbers game in London. Shortly after this gets taken too far when a couple of paranoid lower-level criminals unwittingly attack actual police officers, the criminal underworld decides to forge a temporary alliance with the police to capture the IPO mob.
* In ''FilmTheStreetfighter's Last Revenge'', shortly after being double-crossed by the Owada clan, Terry Sugury intercepts a group while disguised as a highway patrol officer. He directs them to pull over in a car crushing lot and then reveals himself. He then sends a lone assassin, Wolf, back to the Owada clan alive to tell the patriarch that he should fight Sugury for the money he had stolen.
* As seen in a flashback, Chow pulling one off sets the plot of ''Film/TheHangover Part III'' in motion.
* Film/Inspector Gadget, meet your EvilTwin Robo-Gadget, who's not so much impersonating a police officer as he is downright smearing the police officer's good name by committing all sorts of crimes.
* In ''FilmTheStreetfighter's Last Revenge'', shortly after being double-crossed by the Owada clan, Terry Sugury intercepts a group while disguised as a highway patrol officer. He directs them to pull over in a car crushing lot and then reveals himself. He then sends a lone assassin, Wolf, back to the Owada clan alive to tell the patriarch that he should fight Sugury for the money he had stolen.
* As seen in a flashback, Chow pulling one off sets the plot of ''Film/TheHangover Part III'' in motion.
* Film/Inspector Gadget, meet your EvilTwin Robo-Gadget, who's not so much impersonating a police officer as he is downright smearing the police officer's good name by committing all sorts of crimes.
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* In ''FilmTheStreetfighter's Last Revenge'', shortly after being double-crossed by the Owada clan, Terry Sugury intercepts a group while disguised as a highway patrol officer. He directs them to pull over in a car crushing lot and then reveals himself. He then sends a lone assassin, Wolf, back to the Owada clan alive to tell the patriarch that he should fight Sugury for the money he had stolen.
* As seen in a flashback, Chow pulling one off sets the plot of ''Film/TheHangover Part III'' in motion.
* Film/Inspector Gadget, meet your EvilTwin Robo-Gadget, who's not so much impersonating a police officer as he is downright smearing the police officer's good name by committing all sorts of crimes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
* This is a favorite tactic of Manga/LupinIII; much to Inspector Zenigata's chagrin, he is Lupin's favorite disguise. [[Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro At one point, he even uses the disguise]] [[WeNeedADistraction to create a diversion]].
[[/folder]]
* This is a favorite tactic of Manga/LupinIII; much to Inspector Zenigata's chagrin, he is Lupin's favorite disguise. [[Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro At one point, he even uses the disguise]] [[WeNeedADistraction to create a diversion]].
[[/folder]]
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* ''Film/TheWrongArmOfTheLaw'' centers on a gang of Australian crooks whose schtick involves upsetting and flagrantly violating the established rules of the cops and robbers game in London. Shortly after this gets taken too far when a couple of paranoid lower-level criminals unwittingly attack actual police officers, the criminal underworld decides to forge a temporary alliance with the police to capture the IPO mob.
* In ''FilmTheStreetfighter's Last Revenge'', shortly after being double-crossed by the Owada clan, Terry Sugury intercepts a group while disguised as a highway patrol officer. He directs them to pull over in a car crushing lot and then reveals himself. He then sends a lone assassin, Wolf, back to the Owada clan alive to tell the patriarch that he should fight Sugury for the money he had stolen.
* As seen in a flashback, Chow pulling one off sets the plot of ''Film/TheHangover Part III'' in motion.
* Film/Inspector Gadget, meet your EvilTwin Robo-Gadget, who's not so much impersonating a police officer as he is downright smearing the police officer's good name by committing all sorts of crimes.
* In ''FilmTheStreetfighter's Last Revenge'', shortly after being double-crossed by the Owada clan, Terry Sugury intercepts a group while disguised as a highway patrol officer. He directs them to pull over in a car crushing lot and then reveals himself. He then sends a lone assassin, Wolf, back to the Owada clan alive to tell the patriarch that he should fight Sugury for the money he had stolen.
* As seen in a flashback, Chow pulling one off sets the plot of ''Film/TheHangover Part III'' in motion.
* Film/Inspector Gadget, meet your EvilTwin Robo-Gadget, who's not so much impersonating a police officer as he is downright smearing the police officer's good name by committing all sorts of crimes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Captain Carrot
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* ''Literature/MenatArms'' offers the ''{{Discworld}}'' example of Lance-Constable Carrot Ironfoundersson, who in the absence of Captain Vimes assumes command not only of the night watch, but also the whole City Watch and an increasingly large and well-weaponed Citizens' Militia. He does this by force of personality and the (unspoken) fact that he is the heir to the throne of Ankh-Morpork. Effectively he is assuming a police rank he has no official title to, but he is only called out twice: once when Sergeant Fred Colon attempts to re-assert ''his'' superior rank (but Fred bows to the inevitable and ends up calling Carrot "sir" and taking his orders). A second attempt is made by the soon-to-be-disgraced Captain Quirke, but Carrot deals directly with this. The next morning, even Lord Vetinari is certain Carrot is out to usurp ''his'' rank too...
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* ''Literature/MenatArms'' ''Literature/MenAtArms'' offers the ''{{Discworld}}'' example of Lance-Constable Carrot Ironfoundersson, who in the absence of Captain Vimes assumes command not only of the night watch, but also the whole City Watch and an increasingly large and well-weaponed Citizens' Militia. He does this by force of personality and the (unspoken) fact that he is the heir to the throne of Ankh-Morpork. Effectively he is assuming a police rank he has no official title to, but he is only called out twice: once when Sergeant Fred Colon attempts to re-assert ''his'' superior rank (but Fred bows to the inevitable and ends up calling Carrot "sir" and taking his orders). A second attempt is made by the soon-to-be-disgraced Captain Quirke, but Carrot deals directly with this. The next morning, even Lord Vetinari is certain Carrot is out to usurp ''his'' rank too...
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Captain Carrot
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* ''Literature/MenatArms'' offers the ''{{Discworld}}'' example of Lance-Constable Carrot Ironfoundersson, who in the absence of Captain Vimes assumes command not only of the night watch, but also the whole City Watch and an increasingly large and well-weaponed Citizens' Militia. He does this by force of personality and the (unspoken) fact that he is the heir to the throne of Ankh-Morpork. Effectively he is assuming a police rank he has no official title to, but he is only called out twice: once when Sergeant Fred Colon attempts to re-assert ''his'' superior rank (but Fred bows to the inevitable and ends up calling Carrot "sir" and taking his orders). A second attempt is made by the soon-to-be-disgraced Captain Quirke, but Carrot deals directly with this. The next morning, even Lord Vetinari is certain Carrot is out to usurp ''his'' rank too...
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None
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* ''{{Dragnet}}'' had a case with a man who was pretending to be Officer Gideon Dengle, though he was actually doing good deeds. By the time they managed to catch him, he'd switched to impersonating a firefighter.
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* ''{{Dragnet}}'' ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' had a case with a man who was pretending to be Officer Gideon Dengle, though he was actually doing good deeds. By the time they managed to catch him, he'd switched to impersonating a firefighter.
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Monty\'s double. And treble.
Impersonation of military officers is also viewed as a serious military crime in all forces. Several fictitious and real examples are added below, along with the motivations behind them.
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* An Army major with a very distinct resemblance to BernardLawMontgomery was talent-scouted to double for the famous General and make very prominent public appearances, so as to confuse Axis intelligence and act as a decoy against any feared abduction attempts by German commandos.In this case, a Major impersonated a General - later a Field-Marshal - with full Army blessing. this has been the subject of a film: ''I Was Monty's Double'' - and a GoonShow parody - ''I Was Monty's Treble''.
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Peter Sellers, AVM
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* Comedian and impersonator PeterSellers honed his craft with a military concert party, stationed in Ceylon during [=WW2=]. He was only a lowly Aircraftsman - the lowest form of life in the RAF - but he pulled off a deception similar to that attributed to Robson Greene in the TV series ''SoldierSoldier''. sellers made himself up to look thirty years older, donned the uniform not just of any old Royal Air Force officer, but of an ''[[RefugeInAudacity Air Vice Marshal]]'' - and he '''got away with it'''. This, he claims, gave him no fears about a career in comedy.
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* Comedian and impersonator PeterSellers honed his craft with a military concert party, stationed in Ceylon during [=WW2=]. He was only a lowly Aircraftsman - the lowest form of life in the RAF - but he pulled off a deception similar to that attributed to Robson Greene in the TV series ''SoldierSoldier''. sellers ''SoldierSoldier'' (above). Sellers made himself up to look thirty years older, donned the uniform not just of any old Royal Air Force officer, but of an ''[[RefugeInAudacity Air Vice Marshal]]'' Marshal]]'' - and he '''got away with it'''.it''', to the extent of having a ''real'' AVM buy him a drink. This, he claims, gave him no fears about a career in comedy.
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Peter Sellers, AVM
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* Comedian and impersonator PeterSellers honed his craft with a military concert party, stationed in Ceylon during [=WW2=]. He was only a lowly Aircraftsman - the lowest form of life in the RAF - but he pulled off a deception similar to that attributed to Robson Greene in the TV series ''SoldierSoldier''. sellers made himself up to look thirty years older, donned the uniform not just of any old Royal Air Force officer, but of an ''[[RefugeInAudacity Air Vice Marshal]]'' - and he '''got away with it'''. This, he claims, gave him no fears about a career in comedy.
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Impersonating an Army officer.
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* In an episode of ''{{Lovejoy}}'', an ex-copper turned conman uses his old warrant card to bluff his way into the home of a grieving bereaved widow, in order to blackmail her with some incriminating evidence, making out he's a bent cop (he is: that's why he was sacked) and there's no point going to the local police as his senior officers are on the take too.
* A different sort of impersonating an officer happens in ''Series/SoldierSoldier''. The roguish Fusilier Dave Tucker (Robson Greene) is persuaded by several junior subalterns to carry off the impersonation of an Army officer. They think this will be a huge laugh, and get "Lieutenant" Tucker into the Officers' Mess of a rival unit, where he just about carries off the deception. Unfortunately, Tucker is caught re-entering his own barracks by the [[SergeantRock Regimental Sergeant-Major]] who knows damn well a private soldier does not get to be legitimately promoted to officer rank overnight. As impersonating a higher rank is a serious military offence, Tucker is in serious trouble. The Colonel thinks so too, but saves his wrath for the subalterns who should have damn well known better.
* A different sort of impersonating an officer happens in ''Series/SoldierSoldier''. The roguish Fusilier Dave Tucker (Robson Greene) is persuaded by several junior subalterns to carry off the impersonation of an Army officer. They think this will be a huge laugh, and get "Lieutenant" Tucker into the Officers' Mess of a rival unit, where he just about carries off the deception. Unfortunately, Tucker is caught re-entering his own barracks by the [[SergeantRock Regimental Sergeant-Major]] who knows damn well a private soldier does not get to be legitimately promoted to officer rank overnight. As impersonating a higher rank is a serious military offence, Tucker is in serious trouble. The Colonel thinks so too, but saves his wrath for the subalterns who should have damn well known better.
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None
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->- Rick Castle, ''Series/{{Castle}}''
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* ''EightMM'': The private eye protagonist poses as a government investigator. As he's working for a highly-paying client, he thinks it's worth the risk. Towards the end of the movie he claims to be a police officer when ringing around the hospitals looking for the man he stabbed, but by that stage he's so personally involved in the case he doesn't give a damn.
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* ''EightMM'': ''Film/EightMM'': The private eye protagonist poses as a government investigator. As he's working for a highly-paying client, he thinks it's worth the risk. Towards the end of the movie he claims to be a police officer when ringing around the hospitals looking for the man he stabbed, but by that stage he's so personally involved in the case he doesn't give a damn.
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* [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Captain Jack Sparrow's]] sentencing at the end of the first movie includes "Impersonating an officer of the Royal Navy" and "Impersonating a cleric of the Church of England."
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* [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'': Captain Jack Sparrow's]] Sparrow's sentencing at the end of the first movie includes "Impersonating an officer of the Royal Navy" and "Impersonating a cleric of the Church of England."
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None
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* A serial killer on ''Series/ColdCase'' employed this trope to lure his victims away with him.
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* A serial killer [[SerialKiller George Marks]] on ''Series/ColdCase'' employed this trope to lure his victims away with him.