Another Unlicensed Security officer arrested for Impersonating a LEO in fl.

[bigdog Member Find all posts View Profile Close bigdog]

Security Guard Faces Charges Again


POSTED: 8:44 am EDT May 7, 2008
UPDATED: 8:58 am EDT May 7, 2008


ORLANDO, Fla. -- He might have looked like a police officer, but investigators said a man arrested in Orange County was a fake.

Video: Investigators Arrest Security Guard
State officials arrested Bryan Ansley while he was working at the Oasis Lounge as a security guard early Monday morning.

Authorities said Ansley was wearing an official-looking shirt with what appeared to be a law-enforcement badge. They also said he was illegally carrying a 9-mm gun and Taser on his belt while working as an unlicensed security guard.
It's not the first time he's been investigated. Ansley lost his armed security guard license after a fatal shooting in Sanford in 2005.
He was cleared in that case and said these charges should also be dropped.
"It's, quite frankly, embarrassing to be labeled as a pretend cop, play cop or fake cop or whatever the case may be because that's certainly not the case," Ansley said.
One defense attorney said there are some gray areas when it comes to these charges. Ansley bonded out of jail before a judge ruled on the case.

Bronson Announces Arrest Of Central Florida Man
For Impersonating A Police Officer

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced today the arrest of an unlicensed security officer in Central Florida on charges of impersonating a police officer, illegally carrying a firearm and conducting activities as a security guard without a license.
According to Bronson’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE), the suspect - Bryan P. Ansley, 31, of Longwood - was arrested early this morning outside at an Orlando night club.
At the time of the arrest, he was observed carrying a handgun, a taser, chemical spray and a baton secured to a law enforcement-type belt. Ansley’s uniform shirt was embroidered with a shield and star badge, authorities said.
OALE investigators, who credited the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance in the arrest, transported the suspect to the Orange County Jail.
Last fall, Bronson’s department, which licenses security officers, conducted an investigation into allegations that Ansley was operating as an unlicensed security officer. After receiving the results of the OALE investigation, the State Attorney’s Office in Orange County issued a summons for the suspect to appear for judicial proceedings last October. But authorities could not locate the suspect, so he was never served with the summons.

[EMTGuard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close EMTGuard]

I'm not gonna defend the guy for working without a license. He got caught on that fair and square.
My problem with these articles is the following

He might have looked like a police officer but... snip... was a fake.

and

wearing an official-looking shirt with what appeared to be a law-enforcement badge.

and finally

secured to a law enforcement-type belt

Unless he had a badge which said POLICE or was telling citizens that he was a Law Enforcement Officer I say the reporter is full of BS.
Law Enforcement Officers don't have exclusive use of "Official looking shirts", badges or even equiptment belts. The blue shirt and black pants I wear could be seen the same way. The duty belt I carry my radio, flashlight, keys and latex glove pouch could be called a "law enforcement type belt". But I'm not and have never claimed to be Law Enforcement.
It just stoke my fires to hear stuff like this in the media and also from cops. Yes, security guards wear badges. So do firefighters. I had a badge issued by the FD for wear on my dress shirt. EMTs wear badges. Heck, I have custom badges which say Concealed Carry Permit and check out my Ham Radio Badge with my FCC issue callsign....

[longgunner Member Find all posts View Profile Close longgunner]

Unlicensed - check
carrying a weapon illegally - check
belt - questionable
shirt w/badge logo - need more details - questionable unless designed
to intentionally decive
mental issues - maybe

[UtahProtectionForce Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close UtahProtectionForce]

is open carry allowed in florida ? if so is it via permit ? or via utah open carry non in the chamber :P

because.... he could argue he was working inhouse and exercising his right to open carry... just a thought...

and also if he was cleared in the shooting case . why was his licensing revoked ?

[mjw064 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mjw064]

Open Carry is prohibited in Florida,

Open carry is not permitted in any public area, except for lawful self-defense or hunting. (When hunting on private land, or on properties expressly approved for hunting by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or Division of Forestry, open carry is permitted.) State preemption laws prohibit localities from regulating firearms, other than with regards to zoning laws (i.e., for restricting where gun sellers may locate their businesses.)

Also before we get into an argument of Public vs Private property, the PUBLIC AREA defined there is meaning anwhere the public is welcomed ... not PUBLIC SPACE.

This guy sounds like a wack job. I bet if they got a warrant to search his car, it would be a 2001 Ford P71 with tinted windows, 4 antanaes, and more LED's than US Secret Service Uniformed Division Police cars.

I don't know what the elements of Impersonation of a Police Officer are in Florida (and I dont feel like looking it up), but usually you need the defendant to unlawfully undertake some sort of official act or verbally identify themself as a police officer. Depending on the shirt's design, it may fall under the Personation of a Police Officer or Public Official charge that we have in DC, although I have no idea if they have such a charge in Florida (and I dont feel like looking it up).

[AZInterceptor Member Find all posts View Profile Close AZInterceptor]

is open carry allowed in florida ? if so is it via permit ? or via utah open carry non in the chamber :P

because.... he could argue he was working inhouse and exercising his right to open carry... just a thought...

and also if he was cleared in the shooting case . why was his licensing revoked ?

I was wondering about that as well. Maybe it was a good shoot in the eyes of the law, but maybe he went outside of company policy regarding his duties as a Security Officer?

[Nauticus Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Nauticus]

Unlicensed - check
carrying a weapon illegally - check
belt - questionable
shirt w/badge logo - need more details - questionable unless designed
to intentionally decive
mental issues - maybe

How is the belt questionable?

[bigdog Member Find all posts View Profile Close bigdog]

is open carry allowed in Florida ? if so is it via permit ? or via Utah open carry non in the chamber :P

because.... he could argue he was working in house and exercising his right to open carry... just a thought...

and also if he was cleared in the shooting case . why was his licensing revoked ?

To work as an in house armed security officer you need to have the same licenses that an armed contract security officer has "D" security officers license and a "G" statewide firearms licenses. Ok on the video the uniform shirt he showed had a badge with the words "Chief Metro Enforcement" I think i see what they arrested him his shield had the Initials FL under the agencies name . Which could make a reasonable person think hes a sworn officer employed by a state agency.

843.08 Falsely personating officer, etc.--A person who falsely assumes or pretends to be a sheriff, officer of the Florida Highway Patrol, officer of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, officer of the Department of Environmental Protection, officer of the Department of Transportation, officer of the Department of Financial Services, officer of the Department of Corrections, correctional probation officer, deputy sheriff, state attorney or assistant state attorney, statewide prosecutor or assistant statewide prosecutor, state attorney investigator, coroner, police officer, lottery special agent or lottery investigator, beverage enforcement agent, or watchman, or any member of the Parole Commission and any administrative aide or supervisor employed by the commission, or any personnel or representative of the Department of Law Enforcement, or a federal law enforcement officer as defined in s. 901.1505, and takes upon himself or herself to act as such, or to require any other person to aid or assist him or her in a matter pertaining to the duty of any such officer, commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084; however, a person who falsely personates any such officer during the course of the commission of a felony commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084; except that if the commission of the felony results in the death or personal injury of another human being, the person commits a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

[Chucky Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chucky]

EMT I am a little confused about your concealed carry badge. What is the purpose of a badge like that and where would you wear it? I thought the reason by definition of being concealed is so no one will know your carrying. Anyone that saw someone wearing that badge would have to get pretty close to read it and not think you are some sort of detective. I personally don't know anyone including myself that works security in a suit armed. Most clients are into the visual uniform and gun as a deterrent. If there should arise a question about your gun just simply produce your CCW/LTC.

[mjw064 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mjw064]

security officers in the district of columbia are prohibited from wearing a badge.
and i also think the CCW and HR218 badges are stupid.

[EMTGuard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close EMTGuard]

EMT I am a little confused about your concealed carry badge. What is the purpose of a badge like that and where would you wear it?

Novelty only. No different than the badges which say "US Taxpayer" or similar stuff. I'm just trying to point out that there are lots of "badges" out there and police officers don't have exclusive use of little bits of pin on metal.

[longgunner Member Find all posts View Profile Close longgunner]

Nauticus, in my previous post a I was going charge by charge. The ones marked "check" I agree with. The ones marked "quesionable" are just that questionable.

[Black Caesar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Black Caesar]

security officers in the district of columbia are prohibited from wearing a badge.

Must be nice, badges are unregulated down here. From my own priavte industry experiences, I always appreciated working for the security companies that didn't force me to wear a badge that meant nothing.

I once worked for a guy who had the rather hypocritical practice of denouncing people who called S/Os "rent a cops" and "imitation bacon" but who then proceeded to outfit and dress us like the Dallas Police, complete with similar shaped badge and patch (that said "Security Enforcement Division" instead of "Dallas Police Department", but you had to be right up close to the patch to see the difference, thank god that guy is out of business now).

No more for me, when I do re-enter private security, it'll be blazer and slacks for me, or nothing.

and i also think the CCW and HR218 badges are stupid.[/QUOTE]

I hear ya. People actually carry those stupid things on their persons. I saw one nimrod at my off duty job who had a CCW badge clipped to his pocket. It was pure brilliant on his part, have a concealed handgun then wear a sign that says "I have a concealed handgun" lol.

[SpecialAgentKC Member Find all posts View Profile Close SpecialAgentKC]

...and i also think the CCW and HR218 badges are stupid.

I've seen the CCW variety (bad idea) and never even heard of the HR218 variety. I just saw a few floating around in cyberspace (strange/odd). Active LEOs already have a badge/commission card/credential set. Up here, when retired they issue a set as long as you don't go out on a "stress dive" and end honorably. Either way, those are great supplements to a CPL/CCW.

Marketing: Sounds like folks will do anything to make a buck.... And, similar to the "PX Rangers" I knew in the military, there's always "that guy" in a cop shop that buys everything he sees in Galls or wherever.... The HR518 shields/cut out wallets I saw were as cheesy as the CCW badges and tried to mimic federal badge and credentials to boot. --K.

[Tennsix Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tennsix]

Novelty only. No different than the badges which say "US Taxpayer" or similar stuff. I'm just trying to point out that there are lots of "badges" out there and police officers don't have exclusive use of little bits of pin on metal.

Badges are a emblem or authority, trust, and confidence. Aside from serving in an authorized capacity (FIRE, Security, EMS, Police, etc), there really isn’t a legitimate reason to carry a badge, especially off-duty. I have nothing against the professional presentation of badges but it should be kept in context. I do not wear or flash a badge off-duty. The only reason to have a CCW badge or some other sort of novelty badge is to appear “official” thus giving the appearance of impersonation and/or false representation.