A convicted felon was arrested after authorities say he impersonated a police officer while responding to emergency calls in Bremerton, Washington, police said.
Bremerton officers detained Michael Scaletta-Teates on Sept. 5 after he arrived at an active police scene wearing a dark uniform and a tactical vest that displayed a metallic Edmonds Police Department badge and patches reading "police" and "SWAT," according to the Bremerton Police Department and body-camera footage obtained by KOMO. Officers say he was driving an unmarked Ford Explorer with activated blue lights and that a search of the vehicle revealed a large amount of police-type equipment.
Body-camera footage released to media shows a Bremerton officer telling Scaletta-Teates, "I thought you were like one of our detectives at first." When asked by officers for identification, the man identified himself as "Mezzy Scaletta" and was unable to produce a police commission card, an identification issued to sworn law-enforcement officers. Officers contacted the Edmonds Police Department, which told them it had no record of Scaletta-Teates and that he was not on its payroll.
According to police, Scaletta-Teates told officers he had retired from the Baltimore Police Department after two decades and had found work in Washington. He also told officers, "I know some of the guys with the task force," footage shows. Officers reported that he had responded earlier that night to a trespassing call and to a tip about a potential fire in a parking garage. In a review of the suspect's vehicle, an officer noted the presence of a firefighter helmet; another officer quipped, "He's got a firefighter helmet too, he's ready to do it all."
Bremerton police booked Scaletta-Teates into the Kitsap County Jail on charges that include first-degree criminal impersonation and unlawful possession of a firearm, authorities said. Under Washington law, criminal impersonation of a public servant and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon can carry significant penalties; investigators said the arrest followed concerns about public safety and the legitimacy of the man's claims.
Public records and local reporting show Scaletta-Teates was convicted in January 2016 of making a bomb threat during an incident in North Carolina and served 185 days in jail. Before his arrest in Washington, he had been employed as a security guard by the Salvation Army, people at the shelter told reporters. One person at the shelter described him as intimidating and said he had told patrons to "shut up and keep walking."
KOMO reported a separate incident in which Scaletta-Teates was filmed responding to an emergency call at a convenience store and telling customers he was a police officer.
The arrest has drawn attention to questions about the availability of law-enforcement-style equipment to private individuals and the hiring practices of private security employers. Police said they will continue to investigate the scope of the suspect's activities and whether he responded to other calls while wearing police-style gear.
As of this report, Bremerton officers had completed the initial arrest report and Scaletta-Teates remained in custody at the Kitsap County Jail. Court records did not immediately show a scheduled arraignment. Police asked anyone with information about additional incidents involving the suspect to contact the Bremerton Police Department.
The case highlights intersecting issues of public safety, criminal-background restrictions on firearm possession, and oversight of private security work. Authorities say impersonating a law-enforcement officer can endanger both the public and bona fide officers by undermining trust and creating potentially hazardous situations when untrained individuals present themselves as sworn personnel.