BREMERTON, WA - A Washington state convicted felon has been accused of impersonating a police officer when he arrived at various emergency calls and authorities discovered he had a "large amount of police equipment."
Michael Scaletta-Teates responded to an active police scene in Bremerton on September 5, where he wore a dark uniform with a tactical vest that showcased a metallic Edmonds Police Department badge and "police" and "SWAT" patches, according to the New York Post.
"I thought you were like one of our detectives at first, "a Bremerton Police officer told Scaletta-Teates, police body camera footage obtained by KOMO showed.
"I know some of the guys with the task force," Scaletta-Teates told the officers during his arrest. He responded to a trespassing call and a tip about a potential fire in a parking garage.
Police quickly figured out that Scaletta-Teates, who drove an unmarked Ford Explorer with "activated blue lights," did not have the extensive resume he claimed to have.
He claimed that he moonlighted part-time as a security guard and was an officer with the Edmonds Police Department in Edmonds, Washington, which is roughly 35 miles away from Bremerton.
He introduced himself to the officers as "Mezzy Scaletta" and failed to provide his police commission card, an identification card given to law enforcement. Offices called the Edmonds Police Department and discovered that the staff did not know Scaletta-Teates and said he was "never" on their payroll.
"Can we not do this in front of every - I mean, really?" Scaletta-Teates asked while being handcuffed and taken into custody.
Police on scene looked inside the windows of the suspect's truck and noticed that he may have been ready to impersonate other respectable jobs.
"He's got a firefighter helmet too, he's ready to do it all," the cop said.
Scaletta-Teates told officers that he had retired from Baltimore Police after two decades and got a job in Washington. He was arrested and booked into the Kitsap County Jail. He is accused of 1st degree criminal impersonation and unlawful possession of a firearm.
This is not Scaletta-Teates' first time being in trouble with the law. In January 2016, he was found guilty of making a bomb threat during an incident in North Carolina.
He served 185 days in prison for that incident. A judge set his bail at $50,000.
Despite his felony, he worked as a security guard for the Salvation Army before his arrest. "He was intimidating last night," a person at the shelter told KOMO News. "He told a couple of my friends to shut up and keep walking."
Scaletta-Teates was also filmed in a separate incident responding to an emergency police call at a 7-Eleven and allegedly told customers that he was a cop.
Michael Scaletta-Teates responded to an active police scene in Bremerton on September 5, where he wore a dark uniform with a tactical vest that showcased a metallic Edmonds Police Department badge and "police" and "SWAT" patches, according to the New York Post.
"I thought you were like one of our detectives at first, "a Bremerton Police officer told Scaletta-Teates, police body camera footage obtained by KOMO showed.
"I know some of the guys with the task force," Scaletta-Teates told the officers during his arrest. He responded to a trespassing call and a tip about a potential fire in a parking garage.
Police quickly figured out that Scaletta-Teates, who drove an unmarked Ford Explorer with "activated blue lights," did not have the extensive resume he claimed to have.
He claimed that he moonlighted part-time as a security guard and was an officer with the Edmonds Police Department in Edmonds, Washington, which is roughly 35 miles away from Bremerton.
He introduced himself to the officers as "Mezzy Scaletta" and failed to provide his police commission card, an identification card given to law enforcement. Offices called the Edmonds Police Department and discovered that the staff did not know Scaletta-Teates and said he was "never" on their payroll.
"Can we not do this in front of every - I mean, really?" Scaletta-Teates asked while being handcuffed and taken into custody.
Police on scene looked inside the windows of the suspect's truck and noticed that he may have been ready to impersonate other respectable jobs.
"He's got a firefighter helmet too, he's ready to do it all," the cop said.
Scaletta-Teates told officers that he had retired from Baltimore Police after two decades and got a job in Washington. He was arrested and booked into the Kitsap County Jail. He is accused of 1st degree criminal impersonation and unlawful possession of a firearm.
This is not Scaletta-Teates' first time being in trouble with the law. In January 2016, he was found guilty of making a bomb threat during an incident in North Carolina.
He served 185 days in prison for that incident. A judge set his bail at $50,000.
Despite his felony, he worked as a security guard for the Salvation Army before his arrest. "He was intimidating last night," a person at the shelter told KOMO News. "He told a couple of my friends to shut up and keep walking."
Scaletta-Teates was also filmed in a separate incident responding to an emergency police call at a 7-Eleven and allegedly told customers that he was a cop.
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Comments
2025-09-18T21:47-0400 | Comment by: James
OK Now send him to prison for a few years!