PolicePosers.com

This is another one of those subjects popping up more and more on message boards: volunteers who quit or resign from their departments, but refuse to give up their lighting on their POV. While this is a small topic, it is an interesting one that has our interest.

The story starts with someone who has invested a lot of time and money into their lighting setup, the lights more than likely conform to their state laws for volunteer POV lights and their permits, although for one reason or another they have to move on from their volunteering hobby. Then the dreaded fact of life comes up, that the lights must go. The former volunteer fights this choice for awhile, and ends up deciding for some reason or another, they are just going to keep them.

What is their motivation? Mainly it is whackeristic intentions; excuses we heard so far stretch from “I am a trained fire fighter/EMT/whatever and might need them” to “you know, because I can.” As we say, we aren’t against people using lights when it is needed and lawful; however people who think they are entitled or it is their right to do so due to their past we are against. Either these types are cast out of their department due to their behavior or they are moving, and don’t want to move on from their flashy light show to live the life of a “normal” civilian. They evolve from a legitimate lighting user, to a whacker, the moment they leave their respective department. Just like a former police officer doesn’t wear his populated duty belt or a former member of the military wearing their class A uniform everywhere they go.

So to wrap up this week’s update, know when to call it quits and to leave behind the dream. Lights are tools that should only be used by those trained, certified, and who use them lawfully and ethically.

One classic phenomenon we see every once in awhile is the whacker or wannabe who can’t get onto a legitimate volunteer public safety department, no matter what they do. This type of conversation pops up on public safety forums from time to time. Usually someone that has enough gear to start their own department tries applying and failing to get on a volunteer department even when other people with less talent (according to the complaining party) gets on without any issues.

In more cases than not, this person complaining about their “bad luck” experiences this with more than one volunteer department and often enough, writes it off as they were “too good to be there anyways.” In the past when volunteering was a popular hobby practiced by many, this was a non-issue and the rejected wannabes believed they weren’t good enough for the respective department. Now days, volunteering in society as a whole is declining so it is hard for some departments to hide the fact they need help and this works to the benefit of wannabes and whackers with a different agenda other than helping the public.

Sometimes these wannabes and whackers will have to move 2-3 times to find a volunteer department that will accept them. Usually within a given area, a wannabe or whacker will get a reputation as information spreads between volunteer departments and the applicant will be black listed before they can get their first POV lighting setup picked out of their favorite Gall’s catalog.

So in the end, these are the signs to look for to see if you found someone we are discussing:

• The applicant has been rejected for more than two volunteer departments that are in need of manpower
• The applicant had to move to find a volunteer department that would accept them.
• The applicant brags up their current lighting setup and/or their gear they already have to support how much they are qualified.
• The applicant downplays the abilities or qualifications of people who got on the volunteer department before them.

Against popular opinion, all impostors aren’t just impersonators of law enforcement. Last week an interesting article was submitted to us. According to 9news.com, Todd Teel is accused of impersonating a paramedic with the ambulance company American Medical Response (AMR). According to this story, he is accused of impersonating a paramedic for around 17 months and treating numerous patients in this time. The story also states Teel is being charged for allegedly forging a national paramedic certification card and impersonating a paramedic. Again, this goes to show the public impersonation can happen anywhere and can place the public in danger when doing so.