Verdigris police say they're tracking a fake cop who claims to be one of their own.
Officers are searching for the police impersonator after he approached a female resident in the area.
Ally Larman says what's scary about the whole situation is that she didn't question the man's authority at first.
Now she's determined to make sure no one else in Rogers County becomes a victim.
“I just thought I was talking to a cop,” said Larman.
She says he looked the part, wearing black cargo pants, a navy blue shirt and hat that said police. He drove a silver, unmarked Charger with a spotlight.
But it wasn't until Larman starting talking to the person that pulled into her driveway that she realized something wasn't right.
“He just approached me and asked if we had an aggressive black lab...said they'd been getting a lot of calls about that,” she said. “I kind of lost my sense of security a little bit.”
When he asked to see Larman's dog in the back, she told him he wasn't there.
The man promptly left.
That's when she called the real police.
“That makes me kind of wonder if he was trying to gain access to the house,” said Verdigris Police Chief Jack Shackelford.
According to Shackelford, there's no record of an officer or sheriff's deputy responding near 4130 road on that day.
But he says all of his cars are marked and his officers are in full uniform.
“If they start questioning you, they should start showing some form of identification...badge, commission card, CLEET certification card, something to verify that they are a police officer,” he said.
It's a lesson learned for Larman.
As police ramp up patrol in town searching for the imposter, she's now trying to inform as many people as possible.
“I would hate for anyone's sense of security to be lost because of this,” said Larman. “I think even if they're uniformed, I'll probably still try to see that badge or ask for that law enforcement card.”
Shackelford says that goes for anyone who's concerned when they're pulled over on the road as well.
He says certified police vehicles will have multiple lights flashing from the light board, to the dash all the way to the headlights.
If you see the imposter in town, you're asked to call police.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.