Cop impersonator seeks woman's phone number

Plainfield police are looking for a man who impersonated an officer and tried to get a woman's phone number.

Police said the woman was approached on foot by a man shortly after 10 p.m. Friday as she left a Little Caesar's Pizza on the 13300 block of South Route 59.

Detective Sgt. Kevin McQuaid said the woman reported the man had a gun, a radio and patches on his shirt and identified himself as a Plainfield police officer when he asked for her identification. The impersonator then asked for a second form of identification, which she showed him.

The man told the woman he was going to give her a ticket - but she could get out of it in exchange for her phone number, police said.

The woman then walked to her car and left. McQuaid said the man did not pursue her.

She told police a patch on the man's sleeve was not a Plainfield police patch.

The impersonator is described as a white man in his early 40s with short, dark hair. He's about 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds.

McQuaid said anyone who believes they are being approached by someone who is not a real police officer should try to get away from the person and into a populated area. If you're suspicious about who is pulling you over in a car, he said to call 911 and ask for confirmation that it's a legitimate traffic stop.

"If it takes you a little longer to pull over because you're making that call as you find a well-lit area to pull over in, any officer is going to understand that," McQuaid said.

Anyone who has information pertinent to the investigation is asked to call McQuaid at (815) 267-7209.