At first glance, it would have been easy to mistake 24-year-old Andrew Hammonds for a law enforcement officer.
He was in the driver’s seat of a black Ford Explorer, parked perpendicular to Interstate 75 as if he was running radar on passing drivers. His SUV was equipped with blue lights and a siren. Inside, he had a BB gun, a holster, police decals and black license plates with a blue line through the middle, popularly known as the “police thin blue line” plate.
But he’s not a police officer. He’s not a deputy. And he’s not a trooper. He’s just a guy.
Hammonds was arrested Wednesday and charged with criminal impersonation and unlawful possession of blue lights after Chattanooga police noticed his SUV and stopped to investigate. At first, he told police he was having car trouble and had just stopped there, according to the arrest report.
But the arresting officer noticed he seemed nervous, and kept asking questions. Then, Hammonds claimed he was attending a police academy for the Hamilton County Sheriff. That is not true, said Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Janice Atkinson.