General Questions About Laws Regarding U.S. Federal Agents?

by **ayize** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:12 pm

I have a few questions that I have been wondering about and I am just wondering if I could get a little help with them.

1. What are the laws in the US when it comes to showing off badges, that are identical to the real ones. For example, Would it be illegal for me to just walk around with an FBI or DEA badge in my hip? Like badges from this website : http://badge-police.com/index.php?route=common/home
I wouldn't be enforcing any laws, or telling people that I work for a government agency etc., I just think wearing a badge around in public is an exciting thing to do.

2. If you work for a government agency, such as the ATF,DEA,FBI,ETC. do you have general arresting authority? For example, if I were a special agent for the DEA, (which deal mainly with drug law enforcement) could I stop someone for speeding and give them a ticket?

3. Will I get into trouble for wearing clothing, hats,jackets, that has the logo,abbreviations,etc. of a law enforcement agency on them? for example shirts,hats, that say FBI,DEA, Police. Again, I wouldn't tell anyone I'm working for that agency, or enforce any laws.

4.Does anyone know where I can buy official clothing of these government agencies? Maybe 100% real, but as close to the real thing as possible.

That's all I can really think of right now, I am really wondering about those badges, because they look identical to the real ones, even though there kind of pricey, they look like exact replicas. please fell free to throw in any other information you think might be helpful for me,Thanks.

PS. I live in North Carolina, I dont know if that matters or not as far as the laws go.

by **webb** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:13 pm

If you really want all the accoutrements of a federal law enforcement officer, you may want to consider applying for an actual position.
As for your questions,
1. The text of the law states:
ENHANCED FEDERAL SECURITY ACT OF 2000
Sec, 716. Police badges (a) Whoever--- (1) knowingly transfers, transports, or receives in interstate of foreign commerce, a counterfeit police badge (2) knowingly transfers, in interstate or foreign commerce, a genuine police badge to an individual, knowing such is not authorized to possess it under the laws of the place in which the badge is the official badge of the Police; (3) knowingly receives a genuine police badge in a transfer prohibited by paragraph (2); or (4) being a person not authorized to possess a genuine police badge under the law of the place in which the badge is the official badge of the police, knowingly transports a badge in interstate or foreign commerce, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 6 months or both. (b) It is a defense to the prosecution under this section if the badge is used or intended to be used for exclusively--- (1) as a memento, or in a collection or exhibit; (2) for decorative purposes; (3) for a dramatic presentation, such as a theater, film, or television production; or (4) for any other recreational purpose. (c) As used in this section- (1) the term 'genuine police badge' means an official badge issued by public authority to identify an individual as a law enforcement office having police powers; and (2) the term 'counterfeit police badge' means a badge that so resembles a police badge that it would deceive an ordinary individual into being it was a genuine police badge.
In other words, it would be illegal for you to wear the badge around as you do not meet the above criteria as a citizen or possibly even a law enforcement officer would mistake you for an officer of the agency you are wearing the shield of.

2. Federal officers have authority to enforce United States law. Stopping someone for a traffic violation would not fall under their jurisdition. To be honest, this question makes me wonder if you are planning on pulling somebody over with your fake federal agent equipment. Just a word of caution; Even if you just want to play vigilante this makes the jobs of real officers much harder, and is the stuff dumb criminal lists are made of.

3. There are no real laws governing FBI clothing, etc. For example I have a baseball cap saying "FBI" and it's perfectly legal, I bought it at a gas station. However, if you're walking around wearing an FBI raid jacket in an unmarked Crown Vic you will almost certainly be pulled over and arrested for impersonation.
4. Many federal agencies have "gift shops" you can find online. This is probably the best way to go as anything they sell are bound to be legal according to United States law.
I would not recommend buying from a foreign vendor selling highly realistic counterfeit badges. I really don't think a company such as that deserves your support.

by **garwyli91** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:16 pm

1.) Yes, you will get in trouble for impersonating if you do that.

2.) Federal agents enforce FEDERAL laws; they do not stop people for traffic violations and give them tickets.

3.) Not necessarily, but your questions are all bordering on someone who wants the "power" of being a law enforcement officer without actually being one. I strongly suspect you would not stay satisfied with just wearing it around for long. Soon, you would want a bigger thrill, and you would try to intimidate people or do other things (like put lights in your car) to make them think you are something you are not.

THIS IS ALL A TERRIBLE IDEA.

There is a reason that off duty cops and agents don't do the kind of things you want to do... It is NOT SAFE. You walk into a gas station with a jacket that says DEA on it and a replica badge on your hip, the thug getting ready to rob it is not going to take the time to learn that you really aren't one; he's just going to shoot you because he sees you as a threat.

You will get either hurt or arrested if you continue with this plan of yours.

You've been warned.

by **spengler** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:33 pm

1- It is illegal to have a fake law enforcement ID, and doing so could get you charged with criminal offences. Toy badges are generally fine.

2- Federal agents can enforce any federal criminal law. As for state laws, they can if there is an agreement between the state and federal governments saying that they can. In practice, if a federal agent saw you commit a serious crime that was technically outside his jurisdiction, he would still arrest you and turn you over to state authorities later. A DEA agent would never give someone a traffic ticket, however.

3- I've seen these for sale in stores before, so presumably it is fine. Provided that you don't do anything that would convince a reasonable person that you are a federal agent, you should be fine.

4- Most of these agencies are plain-clothes agencies, and you just wear a suit.

by **tim** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:45 pm

1. You would be arrested for impersonation of a law enforcement officer. You don't have to 'say' anything, just the usage of a similar or replica badge would be enough evidence.
2. We don't work traffic, we don't issue traffic citations.
3. Again, see #1
4. You can't. Any thing you can legally purchase will NOT be official government attire.

PS. You're looking to find yourself in a federal prison.

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