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As we attempt to make sense of the political assassinations (and attempts) of lawmakers Melissa Hortman, John Hoffman and their spouses, the subject of police impersonation becomes part of the discussion. We know from watching “Mission Impossible” movies that it’s quite simple for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) to throw on a mask of anyone he wishes to impersonate and virtually impossible for viewers to tell he’s wearing one. Though it takes just seconds in the M.I. movies to construct one of these masks, the real life process is still in the works. So far, this is still just pretend futuristic techy stuff that fall in with the other convoluted M.I. gadgety stuff.
That Vance Boelter, who’s been charged in the shootings, wore a common rubber Halloween mask gives credence to the difficulty of fashioning authentic looking face masks, but what about impersonating a police officer in general? If we consider the everyday police accoutrements, we see it’s not that extensive or prohibitive. One can buy the pants and shirts at any uniform store. Guns, tasers, flashlights, handcuffs, bullet magazines and the leather holders for each are readily available, but strictly legal purchases of firearms will leave an unwanted trace. Online purchases along with gun shows and auctions are better chances of staying below the radar. Body armor and the vest that it’s typically worn with are available for anyone online or in specialty uniform stores. The badges can be an issue, but again, anyone can buy badges and uniform patches that say “police,” “deputy,” “sheriff” or “security guard” and affix them to their uniform shirt. Though they won’t cite the specific city (unless the impersonator raids someone’s “patch collection”) the basic “police” or “sheriff” designation will convince 90% of the population that the man at their door is a real officer. A discerning police officer would spot the impersonation, even without the ridiculous rubber mask, within seconds.
The vehicle is going to be the most costly, though not any more difficult to locate, than the uniform conversion. Since fire department vehicles and tow trucks require emergency lights there are many options one can purchase from specialty shops as well as on amazon. Minnesota Statute 169.64 (prohibited lights and exceptions) is very specific about who can have what light, in what specific color, affixed to the grill, the top or the interior of a vehicle, facing either forward or rearward. Of course if you plan on committing a felony, like an assassination, you’re not that worried about getting stopped for violating the emergency lighting statute, which very few understaffed police departments are focused on anyway.
Making it simpler still is the abundance of unmarked police vehicles. Nearly every police department has some variety of unmarked police vehicles. These are usually the same Ford SUV used by nearly all law enforcement (and security guard service) in the nation. This is the same vehicle Boelter used, and I’m guessing this is a vehicle used by his security company. The unmarked variety are equipped with interior or grill-mounted emergency lighting, also available online, which drivers understand they must stop for if they see these dreaded unmarked vehicles in the rearview mirror, flashing red and blue lights.
Any of these purchases made at uniform stores, specialty vehicle shops or even standard online purchases from Amazon or others, are going to leave a credit card footprint if not actual video of the store-bought products. While many of the items could be bought at garage sales, flea markets and junk yards for the vehicle parts, this process would be very time-consuming and probably result in older, less credible products.
Boelter likely already had the uniform, the belted accoutrements and the vehicle with emergency lights from his security company. His strategy to perform his impersonation at night was tactically sound. When one receives that dreaded knock on the door late at night, one tends to think the worst has happened, especially if one has elderly family or children who are either presently away from home or live on their own. It’s natural to look out a window prior to going to the door, and seeing the emergency lights flashing would confirm that this was most likely an emergency notification. Real police officers may or may not leave their yellow flashers on for an emergency notification at night. They are extremely bright in total darkness, but they are meant to signal that the one knocking on your door is doing so in an official capacity.
