Legislation aims to alert you to who is and isn’t a police officer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A problem exposed in Middle Tennessee is getting attention from a Chattanooga lawmaker.

Our “Thin Blurred Line” investigations first exposed how people who are not police – including a felon, were wearing police identification, and in some cases accused of acting like police in Middle Tennessee.

In Chattanooga, state representative Yusuf Hakeem heard about the concerns about people who are not state certified law enforcement wearing police identification from a local sheriff.

Hakeem knew what the public was asking. “Who is law enforcement, and who is private security?” Hakeem said.

So, Hakeem introduced a bill, requiring that all police officers working off duty as security wear the same identifying patch that is currently being created by the state commission that certifies law enforcement.

“It gives that sense of security that we’re dealing with law enforcement officers or we’re not,” Hakeem said.

“You’re obviously a lawmaker from Chattanooga. The problems we exposed were here in the Metro area. To you, this indicates this is a statewide problem,” asked WSMV4 Investigates.

“We feel like it should be done from a statewide perspective. It gives consistency to those who are not in a law enforcement industry,” Hakeem said.

According to legislative notes connected to the bill, the current “lack of clarity creates challenges for both law enforcement agencies and the public when verifying authority and legitimacy.”

“Where persons who have attempted to identify themselves as law enforcement, this lessens that opportunity for that to happen,” Hakeem said.

The design of the patch is still underway. When it’s finalized, WSMV4 Investigates will show you what it looks like, so you can know what to look out for.

If there’s something you want us to know about his or anything else, please email Jeremy.finley@wsmv.com.