Cobb Co. neighbor spots parked ‘police car’, man inside posed as cop

AUSTELL, Ga. — Police body camera video shows a man being arrested after they say he impersonated an officer.

Investigators say the man’s car had flashing blue lights and K-9 unit stickers, among other things.

Channel 2′s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was outside of the Austell Police Department.

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“Put your hands on the hood for me,” said the responding officer.

His SUV looked similar to a police cruiser, but he was the one who ended up in handcuffs.

“Impersonating a police officer is dangerous,” said Sgt. Tim Allen of the Austell Police Department.

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Blue lights, K-9 unit stickers and even a license plate that says sheriff.

Police say all of it was on the SUV Dylon Burton drove without a license.

In the video, officers can be heard confronting Burton about all of it, in an exclusive body camera from the Austell Police Department.

“It’s very concerning that we have people doing this because we lose the ability of the public to trust us,” Allen said.

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Police say a woman saw Burton’s SUV parked in a neighborhood, over the weekend.

“The lady saw what she thought was a police car back in her culdesac,” Allen said.

She did what the police say everyone should do if they are in a similar situation.

“You should always trust your instinct if something doesn’t seem right,” Allen explained. “There’s some kind of underlying ulterior motive they would have in a person impersonating a police officer to victimize somebody.”

Police know Burton because they say he’s done this before.

At one point, they say he drove around with police headrest covers in his car. They say his behavior has escalated over time.

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