Convicted felon caught impersonating Police Officer at crime scene || Mpforum

A convicted felon in Washington has been accused of impersonating a police officer after showing up at multiple emergency scenes while equipped with police gear, according to authorities.

Michael Scaletta-Teates, 39, was arrested on September 5 in Bremerton, Wash., after responding to an active crime scene in a dark uniform, tactical vest, and a metallic badge marked “Edmonds Police Department.” His vest also displayed “police” and “SWAT” patches.

Body camera footage showed a Bremerton officer initially mistaking him for a real detective. “I thought you were one of our detectives at first,” the officer told him.

Scaletta-Teates also appeared at other incidents, including a trespassing call and a reported parking garage fire. He drove an unmarked Ford Explorer outfitted with blue lights and claimed to be both a part-time security guard and a police officer in Edmonds, about 35 miles away.

When asked for his credentials, he introduced himself as “Mezzy Scaletta” but could not provide a commission card. A call to Edmonds Police confirmed that he had never been employed there.

Officers searching his vehicle noticed gear suggesting he was prepared to impersonate other professions as well. “He’s got a firefighter helmet too — he’s ready to do it all,” one officer remarked.

Scaletta-Teates was booked into Kitsap County Jail on charges of first-degree criminal impersonation and unlawful possession of a firearm.Court records show a history of criminal behavior. In 2016, he was convicted in North Carolina for making a bomb threat and served 185 days in prison. Despite his record, he recently worked as a security guard for The Salvation Army in Bremerton, where staff described him as “intimidating.”

Witnesses also claimed he had been filmed in a separate incident at a 7-Eleven, posing as a police officer and ordering customers around.