Is It A Crime To Impersonate The Police? 3 LAPD Cadets Arrested After Patroling In Stolen Police Cars

Three teenage Los Angeles police cadets allegedly stole three patrol SUVs that were Los Angeles Police Department vehicles, Wednesday and went on patrol around the city before leading officers on two separate chases that resulted in crashing of two of the vehicles in South Los Angeles, Chief Charlie Beck said on Thursday. Chief Beck also stated that the teenagers "may have been impersonating" police while they drove the stolen vehicles.

The trio including two boys and a girl aged 15, 16, 17 respectively, "gamed the system" and used an on-leave officer’s name to take out stun guns and radios and eventually drive the cars out of the station house parking lot, Beck said. The officers have been investigating whether the teenagers impersonated the police and forcefully pulled over drivers.

Read: Don Cheadle Hosts Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation Celebrity Poker Tournament

The search and investigations started around 5 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, according to the authorities, who stated that a watch commander saw a CCTV footage of a young girl filling gas into an LAPD vehicle. The commander immediately checked the vehicle inventory to find that two cars were missing. Following this, around 8:30 p.m. EDT, an officer had found the vehicles being driven carelessly and a chase began. The trio were arrested, Wednesday after the chase ended with crashes of two vehicles in South Los Angeles. A third police car was also found later around the corner from a police station.

The teenagers were booked on charges including stealing the police vehicles and theft of other property found inside the cars. Two radios, two tasers, along with a bullet proof vest were also recovered from the cars.

Beck mentioned during press conference, Thursday that he had ordered a full-length review of the department's cadet program and policies in order to manage the inventory.

"We are going to take this apart top to bottom," Beck said at the press conference. "We're going to see what we can do better and we're going to do it."

If the investigations show that the teenagers also impersonated the police, then they will be separately penalized for the offense.

"We believe that the cadets may have impersonated police officers using these vehicles. We would like anybody who has information on that type of activity being conducted by very young appearing male and female partners to call the Los Angeles Police Department," Beck said.

According to law in California, impersonating a police or other law enforcement officer is a "misdemeanor under California Penal Code 538d PC.1. You can be charged with impersonating a police officer even if no one was harmed by your actions and you derived no benefit from them."

However, according to Santa Ana Criminal Defense Attorney Elisa Guadan: "Note that this does not mean that you can be arrested and charged with police impersonation if you dress up as an officer for Halloween, or for a play, or as a joke. California law requires that you intend to fraudulently cause another person to believe that you are an officer."

Read: Los Angeles Police Brutality: How Much Has LAPD Changed From Its Image In 'Straight Outta Compton'?

The law also states: "If you violate this law by using a uniform, insignia, emblem, device, label, certificate, card or writing of a peace officer, the potential penalties will include up to six months in county jail; and/or a fine of up to one thousand dollars."

However, there is also an exception to the law, which is if you violate only using a badge then the penalties will increase. The violator may then face up to one year in county jail, and/or a fine of up to two thousand dollars.

Beck stated that the investigation is still ongoing and several other interviews of officers, other cadets and other police personnel will be done to complete a thorough investigation.

"We're going to take this apart top to bottom. We're going to see what we can do better," Beck said. "We don't want to give anybody the ability to cross the line if we can help it."