Convicted Felon Accused of Impersonating a Police Officer, Arriving at Emergency Calls

A man in Washington has been charged with criminal impersonation after he allegedly identified himself as a police officer — and showed up to real law enforcement calls.

According to the Bremerton Police Department (BPD), located about 30 miles outside of Seattle, 49-year-old Michael A. Scaletta-Teates arrived at an active police scene on Sept. 5 wearing body armor with “POLICE” and “SWAT” logos, as well as a metal police badge from the nearby city of Edmonds. He was also driving an unmarked car with blue lights.

Police said Scaletta-Teates identified himself as an off-duty police detective in Edmonds. Body camera footage taken during his encounter with officers shows that they were suspicious about his identity after he showed up to a trespassing call and a reported fire in a parking garage.

“I thought you were one of our detectives at first,” a Bremerton officer told Scaletta-Teates, per body camera footage obtained by local outlets KOMO and KING 5.

Scaletta-Teates allegedly told officers that he “knew guys with the task force,” the outlets reported, and allegedly claimed that he dealt with parole and probation.

“After a follow-up investigation, BPD officers learned that the male was in fact not an Edmonds Police officer, was a security guard for a nearby business and had been committing law enforcement acts in the downtown corridor,” police said.

In a written statement to KING 5, police said that “nothing occurred to create concern” after Scaletta-Teates’ first encounter with BPD officers.

“Our suspicion began after the second contact with Teates. Because of this, more follow-up was done,” authorities continued.

Court records obtained by KOMO state that Scaletta-Teates had been hired to do private, unarmed security at a local Salvation Army.

“He looks relatively legitimate,” former King County Sheriff John Urquhart told KING 5. “As a lay person, you’re not going to figure it out.”

Witnesses who spoke with investigators claimed that Scaletta-Teates had shown threatening behavior, claimed that he was responsible for checking people into a homeless shelter, and had recently shown up at a local 7-11 store after people inside had called 911.

“He was intimidating last night, he told my friends to shut up and keep walking,” a witness told officers in the body camera footage.

One of Scaletta-Teates’ neighbors told KING 5 that he believed Scaletta-Teates was a real officer for months, based on his appearance. “Even my friends always thought he was Edmonds police,” the local resident said.

Investigators also found that Scaletta-Teates had been convicted of a felony, and police said that when he was arrested, he was in possession of a firearm and “a large amount of police equipment.”

The 49-year-old was charged with first-degree criminal impersonation and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Scaletta-Teates appeared in court on Monday, Sept. 8, and pleaded not guilty. A judge set his bail at $50,000, per KOMO.

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The BPD has asked anyone who may have had “suspicious encounters with this subject where he was impersonating or representing himself as a police officer” to reach out to investigators by calling 360-473-5220.

Police also advised the public to take steps to verify if a police officer is legitimate, including asking for their name and badge number, calling 911 to verify their information or to ask for a second officer, and to pull over to a safe, well-lit area if being stopped while driving.