Guy's Like This Give Security it's Bad Name

[Guest]

Police: Fake Officer Arrested After Stopping Sheriff's Deputy
Man Allegedly Says Law Enforcement Gear Purchased Online, In Magazines


A man accused of impersonating an Osceola County sheriff's deputy and pulling drivers over had a Taser gun, flashing lights and a badge apparently purchased online and in magazines, according to a Local 6 News report.

Investigators said Craig Tavares, who is a convicted felon, allegedly pulled over several people at the Villa Sol subdivision during the last month while pretending to be an officer.

Detectives began their investigation into Tavares after one of his co-workers at Gold Leaf Security spotted him performing an illegal traffic stop, according to the report.

Tavares also allegedly showed a co-worker a fake Osceola County sheriff's jacket, Taser gun, gun belt and flashing red and blue lights.

"He is claiming that he got this (stuff) from the Internet and from law enforcement-type magazines," Osceola County Sheriff's spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain said.

Tavares was captured after stopping a real officer, the report said.

"He was actually caught because he attempted to pull over our deputy," Lizasuain said.

During questioning, investigators said Taveres confessed but did not say why he did it, according to the Local 6 News report.

Tavares used either a dark gray Ford Taurus or a white Lexus to pull people over, investigators said.

"Investigators have no idea how many victims are out there," Local 6 reporter Deborah Garcia said. "There could be dozens of drivers out there who still don't know that the deputy who pulled them over was a fake."

Anyone who believes they were pulled over by Tavares is urged to call the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story

Here is a link to the story: http://www.local6.com/news/9670189/detail.html#

Is Osceola County near Tampa? Also, I thought that convicted felon's could not work as security guards in Florida?

[Mr. Security]

Oh, if only we could see the expression on his face when he realized whom he stopped. Looks like he'll be getting a uniform, just not the one he had in mind.

[Jackhole]

The article said he was a convicted felon. Felons can be security officers in Florida?

[Black Caesar]

Years ago Dallas PD arrested a guy who worked for a Detention Officer (DSOs are non-sworn) a few years back for doing the same thing. Was using something like a hand held hair dryer for a radar gun, and used an old police package crown vic he bouth at the auction .

And while I was working for a security company as a shift supervisor, I had one guy whose total LE "career" consited of 3 weeks in the Kansas City, Mo police academy. Their are not enough keys to describe this guy, but a couple years after me and this guy worked together, he was caught doing something similar (when I have more time I'll tell yall the story of this guy, it's a long one, I'm sure everyone here has dealt with his type)...

[bigdog]

Yes felons can be security officers. If the applicant or licensee has been convicted of a felony, the department shall deny the application or revoke the license unless and until civil rights have been restored by the State of Florida or by a state acceptable to Florida and a period of 10 years has expired since final release from supervision.

If the applicant or licensee has been found guilty of, entered a plea of guilty to, or entered a plea of nolo contendere to a felony and adjudication of guilt is withheld, the department shall deny the application or revoke the license until a period of 3 years has expired since final release from supervision.

[Mr. Security]

That's a shocker...

Florida needs to change that loophole, IMO. Felons should never be permitted to work security. Such exceptions will certainly work against the industry's (or should I say government's) efforts to improve the integrity, etc. of security officers.

[Black Caesar]

Yes felons can be security officers. If the applicant or licensee has been convicted of a felony, the department shall deny the application or revoke the license unless and until civil rights have been restored by the State of Florida or by a state acceptable to Florida and a period of 10 years has expired since final release from supervision.

If the applicant or licensee has been found guilty of, entered a plea of guilty to, or entered a plea of nolo contendere to a felony and adjudication of guilt is withheld, the department shall deny the application or revoke the license until a period of 3 years has expired since final release from supervision.

W....O....W

I love my state, but I'm not a "Texasupremeacist" or anything (looky, I made up a word ). But I sometimes can't bend my mind around how things are done in other states. Felons can Be S/Os in Florida, Florida Police (I've heard) have no police authority outside of their city, states like West Virginia and New York let you work as a cop for a year before going to the academy, And I've heard some Colorado Colleges/Universities require campus police to go through the full academy, but they are "Commisioned" through whatever city PD whose jurisdiction they fall under (anyone from Colorado, any info would be appreciated.

Like I said in anotherthread, it's pretty cut and dried here. No wonder people ion other states are confused about the law and LE....

[Jackhole]

W....O....W

I love my state, but I'm not a "Texasupremeacist" or anything (looky, I made up a word ). But I sometimes can't bend my mind around how things are done in other states. Felons can Be S/Os in Florida, Florida Police (I've heard) have no police authority outside of their city, states like West Virginia and New York let you work as a cop for a year before going to the academy, And I've heard some Colorado Colleges/Universities require campus police to go through the full academy, but they are "Commisioned" through whatever city PD whose jurisdiction they fall under (anyone from Colorado, any info would be appreciated.

Like I said in anotherthread, it's pretty cut and dried here. No wonder people ion other states are confused about the law and LE....

Here's another one to try to wrap your brain around. If we we both in NY and I punched you in the face, I didn't commit assault - I committed harassment! I'll never understand that one.

[aka Bull]

Here's another one to try to wrap your brain around. If we we both in NY and I punched you in the face, I didn't commit assault - I committed harassment! I'll never understand that one.

NY isn't the only place like that. Here if you're hit in the face and there is no injury it is also a harassment charge (assault if there is injury).

[Black Caesar]

Here's another one to try to wrap your brain around. If we we both in NY and I punched you in the face, I didn't commit assault - I committed harassment! I'll never understand that one.

Wow again. Here we'd just charge them with Assault (A Class C Misdemeanor, the lowest possible charge) and be done lol. Using weapons or breaking bones could jump it way up to Agrarvated Assault.

What do they say on the police report? The subject harrased the victim's face with his fist ???

[N. A. Corbier]

Most states that have consumer protection regulation in the private security field have laws protecting felons from discrimination. Example:

In Wisconsin, it is an EEOC violation to discriminate against felons. This is in statute. Wisconsin denies a permit to any person who has been convicted of a felony which is directly related to the security industry. Alternatively, they may place requirements or restrictions on a license. i.e. the private security person may not work in a jewlery store if he's a jewelry thief. etc. ad nauseum. This covers contract employees only.

Same goes with Florida. Unless its related to the security industry, its illegal for the state to discriminate against a worker in his vocation. The only affirmative defense is the safety of the People of the State, and that's only provable when the offense is directly related to security.

BTW, I could care less if this security guard had a badge and a taser. He had illegal blue light (Count One of Impersonating a LEO in Florida), and a Sheriff's Jacket (Count Two of Impersonating a LEO if used to make a reasonable person believe he was a deputy).

I used to have a PSCO shirt. (Pinellas.) The Sheriff of Pinellas County went on record stating that anyone can wear his shirt so long as they do not make others believe through speech or action they are a deputy or invoking the powers of the Sheriff.

[aka Bull]

Since the State of Colorado has no license requirements, if you went to work in an area not covered by those cities that have municiple license requirements it would be possible to work in the industry as a convicted felon.

The only thing stopping a convicted felon then would be the hiring requirements of the company.

Makes you wonder. A bail enforcement agent has to be licensed by the state,for whatever reason the state feels this is necessary, but a security officer doesn't.

[Guest]

Texassupremacist

W....O....W

I love my state, but I'm not a "Texasupremeacist" or anything (looky, I made up a word ). But I sometimes can't bend my mind around how things are done in other states. Felons can Be S/Os in Florida, Florida Police (I've heard) have no police authority outside of their city, states like West Virginia and New York let you work as a cop for a year before going to the academy, And I've heard some Colorado Colleges/Universities require campus police to go through the full academy, but they are "Commisioned" through whatever city PD whose jurisdiction they fall under (anyone from Colorado, any info would be appreciated.

Like I said in anotherthread, it's pretty cut and dried here. No wonder people ion other states are confused about the law and LE....

Gotta agree with you here. The laws seem to be very straightforward. But...we do have a few odd ones. For example, a LEO needs to be licensed for SO work, even COM III. I always assumed that LEO training would be sufficient. Also, if I am involved in an altercation as an SO, I cannot use my fist in a fight, but I can eye-rake, head-butt, and knee the subject in the groin, causing worse injury than a single blow from my fist could. Also, any civilian can handle OC, but SO's are required to be licensed. My favorite is the ability to deny entry to LEO's at the request of property management and being able to issue a CTN to them.

[N. A. Corbier]

Law Enforcement Officers are trained to act as such, using the powers vested in them by the state. Unless they are working with those powers, as a law enforcement officer, then their LEO training is pretty much useless - AND a liability to a guard company.

This is why many states require police officers to take guard training. Remember, the training is designed to tell a guard what they cannot do, to explain what is permissable and what is illegal.

If a police officer acted like a police officer while performing the duties of a security guard without his police powers, he'd quickly get someone sued. A cop's instinct to investigate a criminal offense, then take people into custody during a terry stop would get a guard in serious trouble. And... he's not a cop at that time unless state law allows him to be.

[Black Caesar]

Gotta agree with you here. The laws seem to be very straightforward. But...we do have a few odd ones. For example, a LEO needs to be licensed for SO work, even COM III. I always assumed that LEO training would be sufficient.

Erm, no Dougo, thats not right at all. Texas Peace Officers are totally exempt from the Private Security Act if they work full time and are paid. See here Law Enforcement Officers exempt from Private Security act

A further explanation from the texas private Security Board here.

(( If you are only a reserve, then yes, you do have to work for a security company and get commisioned to do security work, even though you've been through the full academy like regualr POs. This came about because of protectionism and an unholy alliance between police unions and private security companies lobbying HARD. Police unions didn't want part time cops digging into full time union members pockets by soaking up all the off duty jobs, which they'd do because they don't have to bother with a full time police job, and private security companies, who already don't like the idea of offf duty cops, didn't want MORE off duty cops doing security lol))

Thats why I let my S/O card lapse, I didn't need it after I got commisioned as a police officer in 97 (worked for a tiny little town back then), and don't need it now working for a Campus police department. I work a side job at a little bingo hall by right of this exemption.

Funny thing, i'm exempt from the private security act, but not from the lottery act, when I work at the biingo hall I have to were a lottery commision card at all times lol.

I went through the whole private security licensing training, from lvl 1 to lvl 3 (all 5 days total of it), and then did another week for the lvl 4 Personal protection officer cert. Those courses didn't teach me ANYTHING the police academy didn't except maybe that 1 hour video on the history of private security if I recall correctly lol.

Why a police officer would need a Security officer commision to stand by a door at a grocery store or such place (and have no more real power than a private citizen, an off duty officer who makes an arrest must turn the arrestee over to on duty jurisdictional police, you can't take him to jail yourself) is beyond me. Here in Texas, an employer pays for the Police uniform as a deterrant, not the police "power". I can see that police training doesn't qualify you for the HIGH END Security functions and such, but what a regular S/O does?

My favorite is the ability to deny entry to LEO's at the request of property management and being able to issue a CTN to them.

Anyone can do that, BUT if you interfere with a direct police investigation and the officer has a right to be on property without a warrant because of exigent circumstances and you try that, you're in BIG trouble.

When I worked at Wackenhut, a CPO assigned to a Bank told a detective investigating some kind of fraud that (paraphrasing) "This is MY jurisdiction, YOU'll leave before I do" i was in the office picking up my check, when the Major (a reserve police officer himself) heard about that, he flipped completely out and called the bank for the CPO to "get his backside to this office RIGHT NOW" lol. Only heard rumors about it afterwords becuase I never worked that account, but I hear it got nasty and the CPO had some troubles after that.