Man who impersonated a police officer sentenced to six months in Collier jail

[bigdog]

Man who impersonated a police officer sentenced to six months in Collier jail

By AISLING SWIFT
Friday, October 19, 2007

Gustavo Guirola Quintero probably thought he was being a good citizen when he urged motorists to slow down on Interstate 75 a few months ago.
The trouble was, the Broward County man was wearing his security officer’s uniform and driving a Crown Victoria, a popular police car that featured a Miami-Dade Metro Police Department Shield, was marked “Miami Patrol” and had flashing overhead lights.
And one of the motorists he pulled over to lecture shortly before midnight on June 15 turned out to be a military police officer — who reported him.
On Friday, Collier Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier sentenced the 47-year-old Guirola of Pembroke Pines to six months in Collier County jail and gave him credit for time served since he was booked in the early morning hours of June 16.
The crime? Falsely impersonating a police officer.
Guirola pleaded no contest to the third-degree felony and Krier adjudicated him guilty. He’d faced up to five years in a state prison, but he had no criminal record and was sentenced as part of a plea agreement negotiated by Assistant State Attorney Dave Scuderi and Assistant Public Defender Giovanna Upson.
Upson told Krier that Guirola was employed as a security officer in Miami-Dade County.
“The allegation was he was pulling over people for speeding and lecturing them,” Upson said, adding that one turned out to be an officer. “There was a concern that he was trying to pass as someone with authority.”
A jail booking report by Collier County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Sang Kim gave this account:
The Florida Highway Patrol alerted deputies at 11:42 p.m. on June 15 that a white police-style Crown Victoria with amber lights was stopping vehicles on I-75 at the 74-mile marker on Alligator Alley.
Deputies were urged to be on the lookout for the car, which Cpl. Todd Epright spotted at the 92 mile marker, six miles east of the toll booth. It was driving 80 mph in a 70 mph zone and following too closely behind another vehicle. Epright activated his emergency lights and stopped the car.
Kim then pulled over and interviewed Sgt. Thomas Fiore of the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, who told him that Guirola drove behind him, activated his car’s overhead lights, then the takedown lights at the front of the vehicle. Then the car swerved next to Fiore’s passenger side and an officer gestured for him to stop.
Unaware how Collier County deputies conducted traffic stops, Fiore, who works in Miami, complied. But then he turned the tables on Guirola, informing him he was a police officer and asking for his identification. Guirola responded in Spanish.
When Fiore realized Guirola wasn’t a law enforcement officer, he returned to his car and called the FHP — telling troopers he’d also watched Guirola pull over another vehicle.
Kim arrested Guirola and searched his car, where he found a silver simulated air pistol in the glove compartment, a life jacket marked “Florida Sheriff’s Association, Z.P. Oliveira” in the car’s trunk, along with a police tactical vest and camouflage trousers.Guirola was taken to a sheriff’s substation, where a deputy called his employer, who told him the car was prohibited from leaving Hialeah and not allowed to have light bars.
Guirola was booked into the jail.
On Friday, the prosecutor didn’t think Guirola was a do-gooder. Scuderi noted: “Most do-gooders don’t break the law.”

[Just_Some_Guy]

From the way I read it, it was the employer who informed the deputy that the employer did not allow their security officer to drive his vehicle outside of Hialeah, and that the vehicle was not to have a lightbar on it.

[bigdog]

From the way I read it, it was the employer who informed the deputy that the employer did not allow their security officer to drive his vehicle outside of Hialeah, and that the vehicle was not to have a lightbar on it.

I just re-read it your right my mistake.

[Black Caesar]

LOL the "Military Police Officer" was actually a VA Police Officer. Typical (ignorant) civilian reporter,if the guy is a police officer and works for "Veterans" Affairs he must be a MP.

One time a Dallas Morning News reporter referred to my department as "The Dallas Sheriff's Campus Division", because of course if you have to word's "Dallas County" on your badge you must work for the sheriff. I don't know who was more offended, the Sheriff's guys or us...

[Minneapolis Security]

I think they are being a little hard on this guy. Alot of these crazy speeders could use a good talking to. Maybe he could be deputized and given a real gun and a red light, then set him loose to do his work.

[Mr. Security]

The s/o should have known he was going to get caught, I mean it's the cops who are speeding because they know that if they are stopped, just flip their badge/ID and they are free to go. (Except in VA, where the troopers actually enforce the law fairly)

[Chucky]

I find it funny that the S/O was from Pembroke Pines since that is the name of the looney bin in Pembroke ma.

[SecTrainer]

...and the public are just as dumb for being pulled over by amber lights, especially late at night. This guy could have been anybody. Even if I think this is an "official" vehicle, I'm not pulling over for ambers. Instead, I'll keep right on driving straight to the nearest police station together and I'll stop there. If he follows me, we'll sort it out inside the station.

[bpdblue]

In my humble opinion the guard was WAY out of line, and absolutely committing the criminal act.

As for the public knowing amber lights from blue and red, remember alot of overhead lights on police cars are amber on the back, and some police cars that are used by parking enforcement officers (non-sworn types) have amber on the fronts and backs of their light bars.

The general public see's a car that looks like a police car, has a light bar with lit lights, and that car is closely behind their car will probably pull over, just because they don't want to get arrested for not pulling over.

The police / all sworn law enforcement has a duty under the law to provide the law enforcement service to the public. The public has a legal duty to follow the law, and the lawful orders of law enforcement. When you get some IDIOT out there impersonating law enforcement, the public will generally go along with what the impersonator is trying to accomplish, until either they learn the idiot is not law enforcement, or they get to their limit of taking it.

Remember it might be your family members that are getting stopped, being told to get out of their car, and then being ....? You fill in the blank.

This is one of the main reasons the police are usually charging the idiot with as heavy a crime as they can, with any enhancements available. And for anyone who say's just don't stop for the police, just drive to the local police station, by the time you get there a nice jail cell could be waiting for you there for your failing to yield, delaying an officer in the performance of their duties, ect.

[Minneapolis Security]

In my humble opinion the guard was WAY out of line, and absolutely committing the criminal act.

As for the public knowing amber lights from blue and red, remember alot of overhead lights on police cars are amber on the back, and some police cars that are used by parking enforcement officers (non-sworn types) have amber on the fronts and backs of their light bars.

The general public see's a car that looks like a police car, has a light bar with lit lights, and that car is closely behind their car will probably pull over, just because they don't want to get arrested for not pulling over.

The police / all sworn law enforcement has a duty under the law to provide the law enforcement service to the public. The public has a legal duty to follow the law, and the lawful orders of law enforcement. When you get some IDIOT out there impersonating law enforcement, the public will generally go along with what the impersonator is trying to accomplish, until either they learn the idiot is not law enforcement, or they get to their limit of taking it.

Remember it might be your family members that are getting stopped, being told to get out of their car, and then being ....? You fill in the blank.

This is one of the main reasons the police are usually charging the idiot with as heavy a crime as they can, with any enhancements available. And for anyone who say's just don't stop for the police, just drive to the local police station, by the time you get there a nice jail cell could be waiting for you there for your failing to yield, delaying an officer in the performance of their duties, ect.

Not really true in all states. If you doubt that the person stopping you is in fact a LEO, you break no laws in this state if you drive to a safe area. Fleeing is one thing, putting your hazards on, and driving to a well lit, populated area is not a crime.

[bigdog]

Man who impersonated a police officer sentenced to six months in Collier jail

By AISLING SWIFT
Friday, October 19, 2007

Gustavo Guirola Quintero probably thought he was being a good citizen when he urged motorists to slow down on Interstate 75 a few months ago.
The trouble was, the Broward County man was wearing his security officer’s uniform and driving a Crown Victoria, a popular police car that featured a Miami-Dade Metro Police Department Shield, was marked “Miami Patrol” and had flashing overhead lights.
And one of the motorists he pulled over to lecture shortly before midnight on June 15 turned out to be a military police officer — who reported him.
On Friday, Collier Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier sentenced the 47-year-old Guirola of Pembroke Pines to six months in Collier County jail and gave him credit for time served since he was booked in the early morning hours of June 16.
The crime? Falsely impersonating a police officer.
Guirola pleaded no contest to the third-degree felony and Krier adjudicated him guilty. He’d faced up to five years in a state prison, but he had no criminal record and was sentenced as part of a plea agreement negotiated by Assistant State Attorney Dave Scuderi and Assistant Public Defender Giovanna Upson.
Upson told Krier that Guirola was employed as a security officer in Miami-Dade County.
“The allegation was he was pulling over people for speeding and lecturing them,” Upson said, adding that one turned out to be an officer. “There was a concern that he was trying to pass as someone with authority.”
A jail booking report by Collier County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Sang Kim gave this account:
The Florida Highway Patrol alerted deputies at 11:42 p.m. on June 15 that a white police-style Crown Victoria with amber lights was stopping vehicles on I-75 at the 74-mile marker on Alligator Alley.
Deputies were urged to be on the lookout for the car, which Cpl. Todd Epright spotted at the 92 mile marker, six miles east of the toll booth. It was driving 80 mph in a 70 mph zone and following too closely behind another vehicle. Epright activated his emergency lights and stopped the car.
Kim then pulled over and interviewed Sgt. Thomas Fiore of the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, who told him that Guirola drove behind him, activated his car’s overhead lights, then the takedown lights at the front of the vehicle. Then the car swerved next to Fiore’s passenger side and an officer gestured for him to stop.
Unaware how Collier County deputies conducted traffic stops, Fiore, who works in Miami, complied. But then he turned the tables on Guirola, informing him he was a police officer and asking for his identification. Guirola responded in Spanish.
When Fiore realized Guirola wasn’t a law enforcement officer, he returned to his car and called the FHP — telling troopers he’d also watched Guirola pull over another vehicle.
Kim arrested Guirola and searched his car, where he found a silver simulated air pistol in the glove compartment, a life jacket marked “Florida Sheriff’s Association, Z.P. Oliveira” in the car’s trunk, along with a police tactical vest and camouflage trousers.Guirola was taken to a sheriff’s substation, where a deputy called his employer, who told him the car was prohibited from leaving Hialeah and not allowed to have light bars.
Guirola was booked into the jail.
On Friday, the prosecutor didn’t think Guirola was a do-gooder. Scuderi noted: “Most do-gooders don’t break the law.”

The Metro Pd Shield on the side of the car and his uniform was all the court needed to convict him of impersonation. Without that he couldve flashed his lights all day long and no one would've probably been pulled over.

[davis002]

Not really true in all states. If you doubt that the person stopping you is in fact a LEO, you break no laws in this state if you drive to a safe area. Fleeing is one thing, putting your hazards on, and driving to a well lit, populated area is not a crime.

Exactly. They actually encourage that here.

[N. A. Corbier]

Exactly. They actually encourage that here.

They encourage that pretty much everywhere I've been. I've even done it, I would call 911 or the local police dispatch to verify the guy behind me was really a cop.

Usually these would be the super-secret squirrel anti-drug cars thinking we were trolling around properties looking to buy drugs. Close, but not quite. We were trolling around properties looking to identify drug dealers.