Florida security guard, 40, ‘is caught impersonating a police officer when he pulls over a real cop’
Casselberry FL Sept 12 2020
A Florida man has been charged with impersonating a police officer after officials say he pulled over an off-duty Orlando cop for what he perceived to be erratic driving.
The incident took place back in March in Casselberry, but suspect Omar Forde was only arrested on Tuesday night on a recently-issued warrant charging him with falsely personating an officer, a felony.
Forde was booked into the county jail and later released after posting $2,000 bond.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com, the incident began unfolding at around midnight on March 29, when a Casselberry police officer was called to the area of Red Bug Lake Road and State Road 436 by off-duty Orlando police officer Zachary Price.
Price said that he was traveling on Red Bug Lake Road near Doster Drive in his blue BMW convertible when a white Ford Explorer SUV equipped with emergency lights resembling an unmarked police vehicle activated strobing lights and sirens, and pulled him over by ordering him over his vehicle’s PA system to slow down.
According to the report, Price said he noticed the driver of the SUV, later identified as Forde, wearing a tactical-style vest emblazoned with patches that resembled a law enforcement officer’s uniform.
‘Officer Price asked Forde if he was stopping him, to which Forde replied he needed to slow down,’ the affidavit stated.
Price then contacted dispatch and summoned local police.
When an officer with the Casselberry Police Department arrived on the scene, he found Forde still wearing his vest with the words ‘Criminal Task Force’ printed across the front ‘much like a uniformed officer would wear,’ according to the report.
Forde’s gear also included a silver badge worn over his heart and a utility belt with a holstered handgun, a Taser and a microphone in it.
After being read his Miranda rights, Forde explained that he was on his way home from his work at a private security company called ‘Criminal Task Force’ when he saw Price’s blue BMW pass him and swerve.
‘Out of concern that the driver of the BMW may be under the influence, he activated the emergency lights and siren equipped on his company vehicle to get the BMW to slow down,’ the report stated. ‘Once the BMW pulled over, he pulled beside and advised the driver over his vehicle’s PA system to “slow down, you going to hurt yourself.”‘
A portion of Forde’s exchange with the Casselberry cop was captured on body camera video, first obtained by ClickOrlando. In it, the security guard says Officer Price ‘flew past me and his car danced. So I thought he might have been intoxicated; I didn’t want him to hurt himself.’
In the footage, Forde insists that he was not trying to impersonate a police officer, but he is told that if he were to pull over a civilian, they would easily mistake him for a real cop based on the appearance of his vehicle and uniform.
‘A citizen would mistake this all day for a law enforcement officer,’ a Casselberry officer tells him.
The investigation has revealed that at the time of the traffic stop, Forde was driving on a suspended license stemming from a 2017 incident.
Forde is due back in court for his arraignment on November 3.
