An unemployed man in Russia managed to live out his dream of being a traffic policeman by putting on a fake police uniform and going on patrols with actual traffic inspectors for two months.
Tired of sitting around all day, Viktor, a 48-year-old unemployed man from Russia’s Stavropol Region, bought himself a realistic-looking police uniform and joined the ranks of law enforcement officers in the village of Pyatigorsky. Relying on his traffic inspector attire, great acting skills, and enviable self-confidence, the man patrolled the streets of Pyatigorsky, actively stopping negligent drivers and educating them on various traffic rules. It is unclear why Viktor chose this specific profession, or whether he actually took any bribes from motorists during his voluntary service, but his career was short-lived. Two months after joining the ranks of the Stavropol traffic police, his cover was blown.
Photo: Unsplash+/Ahmet Kurt
While checking footage from the body cams of traffic inspectors out on patrol on Pervomaiskaya Street in Pyatigorsky, authorities noticed that there were actually five inspectors on duty, despite official records only mentioning four. Footage from the fifth officer’s body cam was also conveniently missing, and when trying to identify the fifth traffic inspector, they found that he was no policeman.
An investigation showed that Viktor had gone on patrol with the four actual traffic inspectors at least five times since May, and none of them had reported anything bizarre about him. The would-be cop admitted to impersonating a police officer and was charged with traffic violations, illegal wearing of official uniforms, and obstruction of the performance of police duties.
Viktor actually got off easy for his stint as a traffic police officer. His colleagues in the last couple of months were not so lucky. They are now facing charges of fraud, but deny the accusations, claiming that they had never met Viktor before May and have never had any dealings with him.
