Is This Louisiana Man Impersonating a Police Officer on I-10?

Lafayette, Louisiana (KPEL-FM) - There's a YouTube video going viral showing a man flashing blue lights in an attempt to get a motorist to pull over on I-10 outside of New Orleans.

What has people alarmed is that when the motorist called the police at the time of the incident, NOPD allegedly said they had no officers currently in the area.

So, what is really going on here?

Is this someone attempting to impersonate a police officer, or is this man involved in a different type of non-emergent law enforcement?

Photo courtesy of Michael Fortsch, y5LaV9IEC_g, via Unsplash

Louisiana Emergency And Warning Light Color Guide

So many of us are conditioned to immediately pull over or get out of the way of vehicles with flashing lights. And, that's a good thing because it's kind of the law.

Unfortunately, some people take advantage of our unquestioning behaviors when we see flashing lights.

Ultrabrightlightz.com has put together a great list of what emergency vehicles use what color lights.

Here’s a breakdown of emergency vehicle light colors in Louisiana, what each color means, and who is allowed to use them -

Red Lights - Authorized emergency vehicles, flashing red or a revolving red light on the roof of the vehicle. Volunteer Firefighters and Medical Personnel can also use flashing red lights but only while responding to an emergency.

Blue Lights - Law enforcement vehicles, blue emergency lights that shine from the front of the vehicle. Law enforcement vehicles can also use red lights with blue lights, depending on the emergency.

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With permission,some reserve or auxiliary officers are also allowed to use blue lights

Red and White Lights - Organized fire companies, large revolving alternating red and white light on the roof of the vehicle.

Blue Rear Lights - Fire department vehicles and licensed ambulances can use blue lights on the rear of the vehicle.

Now that we know who is allowed to use what when it comes to emergency lights in Louisiana, let's take a look at the viral video of a man allegedly impersonating a police officer and attempting to pull someone over in New Orleans.

YouTube Via @TizzyEnt

In the original video, now re-posted by YouTuber @Tizzyent, the driver wrote -

"Does anyone know this crazy 60 year old boy impersonating a police officer in Louisiana?"

According to the driver, they were traveling on the interstate outside of New Orleans when there was a merge and they didn't let the other driver in question merge in front of them.

The other driver then turned on what appear to be blue law enforcement lights, then pulls his vehicle up next to them and begins pointing for them to pull over.

According to the woman recording the video, the driver with the blue lights then "broke off from them", pulled over, and then allegedly began removing the blue lights from his vehicle.

They then called police and told police to tell them someone with blue flashing lights had just tried to pull them over. They were then told by the dispatcher that there were no officers in the area at that time.

This begs the question, what's really going on here?

Is this really a case of someone impersonating a police officer, or could it possibly be a parole officer in a fit of a little road rage?

One comment on YouTube claims this man is indeed a Louisiana parole officer, lists him by name, and claims "local authorities are aware and this isn’t his first time doing it."