History Main / ImpersonatingAnOfficer

* In the 1977 ''[[Series/TheSweeney Sweeney!]]'' two uniformed policemen with an Ingram submachine gun in an evidence bag show up at a TotallyNotACriminalFront wrecking yard to question the owners, who have just enough time from an OhCrap reaction when the gun is removed from the bag and cocked, before they're gunned down.

DoNotTryThisAtHome — intentionally attempting to impersonate a police officer is a serious crime in most jurisdictions. With a few exceptions (including ''Film/{{Zombi 2}}'', which had cameos from actual off-duty NYPD officers in full uniform), live-action films and television shows with police officers in them use uniforms that are deliberately incorrect to avoid any hint of this[[note]] It is, however, an [[PopCultureUrbanLegends urban legend]] that there are laws mandating this outside of duplication of badges -- the productions usually do it voluntarily out of concern that the items could be used illegally. In many of the Mark VII productions, such as ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'', the costumes are much more authentic, down to in a few rare cases being granted permission to use actual [=LAPD=] badges as opposed to subtly incorrect replicas, as [[BackedByThePentagon the shows had the full support of the Los Angeles Police Department]] thanks to Creator/JackWebb's relationship with the department stretching back to the radio version of ''Dragnet''.[[/note]]. Fancy dress police costumes are also deliberately different from genuine ones to reduce the chance of being mistaken for a genuine officer. In RealLife, police forces/departments exercise rigorous control over their uniforms — losing, giving away, or otherwise transferring any part of their uniform can lead to serious disciplinary measures being taken against officers and old and worn items are destroyed rather than risking the chance of them falling into the wrong hands. It's very usual for uniforms to be stored on police premises only and officers change into them on arrival for their shifts and at no time do they leave the building unless being worn on duty.

* ''{{Series/Tracker}}'' liked this. Mel and Cole once used old police badges to get info and another time, Cole was looking for a fugitive in London and played along with a guy who thought Cole was an inspector.

* Bugs suddenly dresses up in police gear in "Box Office Bunny" after theater usher Elmer Fudd demands to see Bugs' ticket and Bugs suddenly issues traffic citations to him.

* At the start of the ''Literature/Lensman'' series this is one of the problems (the other being the lack of a UniversalTranslator) that requires the creation of the Lens. Criminals have become so sophisticated they can forge any symbol of law enforcement, requiring one that can neither be duplicated or stolen (well you can steal a Lens, but it will kill you if you try to wear it).

* The hitman in ''Film/TheStarChamber'' does this, unless he really ''is'' a police officer.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'':

* ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'':
** Mikoto Misaka impersonates a member of Judgment, ''to'' an actual member of Judgment, by wearing a Judgment-issue armband that one of her friends dropped. Well, to be more specific the Judgment officer assumes she's a new recruit and makes her help for the day. Mikoto learns a bit more about what the job actually entails, and gains more empathy for her friends in Judgment.
** Rita Iizumi brings out a Judgment armband to convince Mikoto that their Dark Side organization is actually a Judgment task force. She waves away their violent friend who already attacked Mikoto as a "civilian contractor." For the most part this plan works and both sides get what they want... but when the fight is going through an abandoned area, Mikoto says she'll leave the evacuation of the squatters to them, and they realize that they have to pretend they care about civilians.

* In the ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "A Badge and A Gun", the KillerOfTheWeek|'s modus operandi involves using an [=FBI=] badge (stolen from a retired agent he killed) to get into victims homes.

** In "Graduation Day" Villalobos steals Joseph's uniform and key card to escape LA County Jail. After this he kidnaps a girl as punishment for her father taking from his cartel, initially getting inside due to his disguise.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E4AliensOfLondon "Aliens of London"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E5WorldWarThree "World War Three"]]: After the Doctor and Rose are taken to 10 Downing Street, Rose's mother gets questioned by Commissioner Strickland, who as it turns out is actually Sip Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen wearing a skinsuit.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E11FearHer "Fear Her"]]: While Rose is talking to a council worker who's dealing with cars that are breaking down on the stretch of Dame Kelly Holmes Close where kids are disappearing, the Doctor enters the scene having been caught snooping in Tom's family's yard trying to figure out what happened to Dale Hicks (who vanished there):
--->'''The Doctor:''' I'm, I'm a police officer! That's what I am. I've got a badge and a police car! You don't have to get– I can, I can prove it! Just hold on! ''[reaches for his psychic paper]''\\

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E7TheUnicornAndTheWasp "The Unicorn and the Wasp"]]: Upon the discovery of Professor Peach's murder, the Doctor claims by psychic paper to be an inspector from Scotland Yard because he doesn't want anyone calling the ''real'' police, especially when he's just discovered evidence that the murderer is an alien. The paper also claims Donna is the "plucky young girl" who helps him out (since female cops were very rare in the 1920s), to her offense.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E1TheEleventhHour "The Eleventh Hour"]]: When the Doctor first meets Amy Pond as an adult, she pretends to be a [[FairCop policewoman in her kissogram outfit]], our CelibateHero failing to register the extreme brevity of her hemline. [[spoiler:She later uses the costume to get into the closed-off top floor of the hospital after Prisoner Zero attacks.]]

** In “The Double Blind Job,” the Client of the Episode is pursued by two such henchmen, claiming to be FBI agents (“she’s in our custody!”). Hardison flat-out states that he isn’t fooled by their “fake-ass” badges. Then he directs their attention to Elliot, whom was barreled into during the chase and thus ended up with hot coffee all over his white shirt. While Hardison rounds up their soon-to-be client, Elliot pummels her pursuers.

* ''Series/MajorCrimes'' episode "Return to Sender" has Rusty's stalker pretend to be an undercover officer in order to find out the details of Rusty's police protection [[spoiler:and lure him into an easy place to kill him]]. It helped that they did not reveal to him all the members of the undercover team.

** ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}'': In "Cut Man," one of Vladimir and Anatoly Ranskahov's henchmen pretends to be an NYPD detective to search for Matt Murdock in Claire Temple's apartment building.
** ''Series/{{The Punisher|2017}}'': To lure Frank Castle out of hiding, some of Billy Russo's men disguise themselves as police officers to abduct David's family. They succeed in grabbing Sarah and Zach, but Leo manages to avoid detection.

* The ''Series/MastersOfHorror'' episode "Pick Me Up" features a serial killer called Wheeler who drives a truck around the woodlands to look for victims. If anyone asks Wheeler too many questions or questions his credibility, he just shows them a sheriff deputy's ID to convince them that he's actually an off-duty officer.
* In ''Series/MissionImpossible'' members of the IM Force often impersonated police officers...as well as soldiers, security personnel, and other officials.
* In ''Series/MobCity'' two mob hitmen infiltrate a police safe house dressed as LAPD patrol officers and murder a witness and a police detective. They had authentic uniforms and were posing as the regular shift change so it is clear that they were helped by {{Dirty Cop}}s inside the department. As a result of this incident, the mayor authorizes the formation of the LAPD's first InternalAffairs department.
* The ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger" concerned a police officer seen running away after seeing Sidney Teal get shot. Turns out it was an actor in a cop costume that Teal had hired as part of [[EngineeredHeroics a scheme with his killer Archie Modine designed to impress Modine's date]].

* ''Series/EnemyWithin'': Tal sent two of his people to get Erika's daughter at the park. Video of her and knowing she was there in their custody gets Erika to give up the information he wants.

* The Spanish thriller ''La sombra de la ley'' (aka ''Gun City'') has the protagonist Aníbal Uriarte transferred to Barcelona from another city to help with the investigation into stolen military weapons. It's only halfway through the movie that we discover his papers have been forged and he's not even a policeman [[spoiler:but a military intelligence officer investigating army and police involvement in the theft.]]

* The killer in the 1984 Creator/ClintEastwood movie ''Tightrope'' is [[FeetFirstIntroduction first shown via his trainers]] as he stalks a woman. She's aware someone is following her but runs into a uniformed police officer who escorts her home safely. The camera then tracks down to show the 'police officer' is wearing the killer's trainers. This plays into the theme of the movie which has a parallel between the killer and the cop investigating him.

* In ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', Mikoto Misaka impersonates a member of Judgement, ''to'' an actual member of Judgement, by wearing a Judgement-issue armband that one of her friends dropped. She somehow does not get in trouble for this.

* A military variant is used in ''Fanfic/OriginStory'', where in order to rescue Louise from a secure military base, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, ComicBook/SpiderMan, and [[ComicBook/{{Avengers}} The Wasp]] dress up in military uniforms and use forged [=IDs=] and orders to get in. (It turns out that Captain America's uniform is real.)

** In "Graduation Day" Villalobos steals Joseph's uniform and key cart to escape LA County Jail. After this he kidnaps a girl as punishment for her father taking from his cartel, initially getting inside due to his disguise.

* ''Series/{{Deputy}}'': Villalobos steals Joseph's uniform and key cart to escape LA County Jail. After this he kidnaps a girl as punishment for her father taking from his cartel, initially getting inside due to his disguise.

* After [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]] was framed for murder, he snuck into the police station to look at the evidence and after being spotted he walked out during the ensuing chaos dressed as a GCPD officer.

* ''Film/RawDeal1986'' opens with the confusing sight of Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger in civvies driving a jeep, chasing a motorcycle cop. Turns out Arnie is TheSheriff and the cop actually a conman stopping speeders and taking 'fines' off them. Later on, TheMafia disguise themselves as a bomb squad to steal a huge stash of confiscated drugs and cash from police headquarters.

* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': "[[Recap/GarfieldAndFriendsS4E08 Speed Trap]]" has Jon getting [[TheTroubleWithTickets ticketed]] for speeding by what he thinks was a police officer, but it turns out he was ticketed, and later falsely imprisoned, by P. Dempsey Weevil, a wanted ConMan who impersonates police officers to swindle peoples' money, and if they don't pay him, [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner he will also impersonate the judge, the bailiff and the defense attorney]] in a KangarooCourt, and then he [[PrisonEpisode imprisons]] his marks until they agree to pay up, especially since the "sign" displaying the posted speed limit of 8 MPH is so tiny, that one has to use a magnifying glass to read it. When Garfield and Odie show Jon's ticket to ''real'' police officers, it gives them the break they need to finally arrest and convict Weevil and exonerate and reimburse his victims, including Jon.

* ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'': The ''original'' [=RoboGadget=], in "Doubled Agent," did this long before the 1999 movie. Also see [[MasterOfDisguise Presto Change-O,]] who impersonated Gadget ''and'' Chief Quimby!