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Sad story.................. im not sure about this but sounds, like thers more to the story then being told..
Security Guard Impersonated Officer, Police Say
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By VALERIE KALFRIN The Tampa Tribune
Published: Jul 28, 2007
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TAMPA - Throughout their marriage, Nereida Ortiz said, her estranged husband was fascinated with law enforcement.
Joseph Ramos worked as a security guard, but he would answer the phone as "Officer Ramos," she said.
"He would use his badge for every little thing," said Ortiz, of Valrico. "I've been telling everybody, he wants to be the law."
Tampa police delivered a clear message that he's not the law when they arrested Ramos, 43, on a felony charge of impersonating an officer. The arrest Friday came after officers found police paraphernalia in Ramos' possession during a traffic stop.
Because Ramos was carrying a loaded shotgun in the trunk of his Toyota Camry, police added a charge of violating a court order prohibiting him from carrying firearms. The injunction was issued in 2005 in connection with a domestic violence matter involving Ortiz and her children.
Ramos, of 7405 Sherren Drive, was held without bail Friday at the Orient Road Jail. He was not near Ortiz or her children at the time of his arrest. The injunction orders him to stay 500 feet away, Ortiz said.
Ramos' employer, Michael Gari of Gari Security Services in Tampa, said he will fire Ramos for violating the injunction.
Gari, however, called the impersonation charge "ridiculous."
"It upsets me," he said. Most of the items that police found suspicious can be explained through Ramos' job, Gari said.
Tampa police Officer Stephen Hiles pulled over Ramos' Toyota Camry on West Columbus Avenue about 12:50 p.m. Friday because the car's tinted windows were darker than the law allows.
As Ramos pulled over, he activated strobe parking lights and white strobe lights on his dashboard, then stepped out of the car wearing his dark-blue security guard uniform, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.
After Hiles told him to get back into the car, Ramos began reaching for a gun on the front passenger seat, Davis said. Hiles drew his firearm and told him to stop, which he did.
A search of the car found three pellet guns, all of the same weight and appearance as real firearms, Davis said. Police also found the loaded shotgun, four Tasers, a nightstick, several handcuff keys, an orientation book for neighborhood watch members containing police department contact numbers, a booklet of Tampa police trespass warnings and a 16-ounce can of pepper spray, which is larger than permitted by law, she said.
Gari said Ramos, who has worked for him more than a year, has been trained and certified to carry nonlethal weapons such as the nightstick, pellet guns and Tasers. Ramos was not working Friday, but was driving to the company office to pick up his paycheck, Gari said.
As for the trespass warning booklet, "I have blank trespass warnings. The police department gave them to me to fill out," Gari said.
Davis disagreed, saying if Gari does have official trespass warnings, the department wants to know how that happened.
"We don't give those out" to anyone not employed by the police department, she said.
"Look at everything he had," Davis said. "It's the entire package that alluded to the fact he was impersonating a police officer."
Tribune reporter Ray Reyes contributed to this report. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.
Security Guard Impersonated Officer, Police Say
Skip directly to the full story.
By VALERIE KALFRIN The Tampa Tribune
Published: Jul 28, 2007
ADVERTISEMENT
More from this channel:
Search for more information:
Site Search Archives Keyword
TBO.com Site Search | Tribune archive from 1990
TAMPA - Throughout their marriage, Nereida Ortiz said, her estranged husband was fascinated with law enforcement.
Joseph Ramos worked as a security guard, but he would answer the phone as "Officer Ramos," she said.
"He would use his badge for every little thing," said Ortiz, of Valrico. "I've been telling everybody, he wants to be the law."
Tampa police delivered a clear message that he's not the law when they arrested Ramos, 43, on a felony charge of impersonating an officer. The arrest Friday came after officers found police paraphernalia in Ramos' possession during a traffic stop.
Because Ramos was carrying a loaded shotgun in the trunk of his Toyota Camry, police added a charge of violating a court order prohibiting him from carrying firearms. The injunction was issued in 2005 in connection with a domestic violence matter involving Ortiz and her children.
Ramos, of 7405 Sherren Drive, was held without bail Friday at the Orient Road Jail. He was not near Ortiz or her children at the time of his arrest. The injunction orders him to stay 500 feet away, Ortiz said.
Ramos' employer, Michael Gari of Gari Security Services in Tampa, said he will fire Ramos for violating the injunction.
Gari, however, called the impersonation charge "ridiculous."
"It upsets me," he said. Most of the items that police found suspicious can be explained through Ramos' job, Gari said.
Tampa police Officer Stephen Hiles pulled over Ramos' Toyota Camry on West Columbus Avenue about 12:50 p.m. Friday because the car's tinted windows were darker than the law allows.
As Ramos pulled over, he activated strobe parking lights and white strobe lights on his dashboard, then stepped out of the car wearing his dark-blue security guard uniform, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.
After Hiles told him to get back into the car, Ramos began reaching for a gun on the front passenger seat, Davis said. Hiles drew his firearm and told him to stop, which he did.
A search of the car found three pellet guns, all of the same weight and appearance as real firearms, Davis said. Police also found the loaded shotgun, four Tasers, a nightstick, several handcuff keys, an orientation book for neighborhood watch members containing police department contact numbers, a booklet of Tampa police trespass warnings and a 16-ounce can of pepper spray, which is larger than permitted by law, she said.
Gari said Ramos, who has worked for him more than a year, has been trained and certified to carry nonlethal weapons such as the nightstick, pellet guns and Tasers. Ramos was not working Friday, but was driving to the company office to pick up his paycheck, Gari said.
As for the trespass warning booklet, "I have blank trespass warnings. The police department gave them to me to fill out," Gari said.
Davis disagreed, saying if Gari does have official trespass warnings, the department wants to know how that happened.
"We don't give those out" to anyone not employed by the police department, she said.
"Look at everything he had," Davis said. "It's the entire package that alluded to the fact he was impersonating a police officer."
Tribune reporter Ray Reyes contributed to this report. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.
), but I've always answered an incomming phone call...
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