This browser does not support the Video element.
Man caught impersonating officer after firing from another department
A man accused of impersonating a Norcross police officer is facing a serious charge. It turns out, he was fired with a different department just days before the incident.
NORCROSS, Ga. - A man is facing charges after Norcross Police say he impersonated an officer last month.
It all happened along Burford Highway at Holcomb Bridge Road in February when an officer noticed something was off about the officer directing traffic.
"Just trying to figure out who you work for," the officer can be heard saying in a body camera video of the encounter.
"It's very frustrating it's also alarming to the public," Robert Braud, with the Norcross Police Department said.
Investigators say body camera video from February 17 shows the moment a Norcross police officer confronted Darryl Henderson directing traffic at the busy intersection.
In the video, Henderson is heard saying he works for the city of Talbotton when asked.
"What really caught the attention of the officer was that they didn't have side patches which indicate the municipality, the police department, or the county that that officer would work," Braud explained.
Braud also said the fact the police department Henderson said he worked for was not nearby was also unusual. Talbotton is about 90 miles south of Norcross.
"If they're in Gwinnett County, you'd have some surrounding municipalities in Gwinnett County that would wear that badge," Braud explained.
When Norcross Police called Talbotton, investigators say the found out Henderson had been fired earlier in the month. They proceeded to place him under arrest.
"To see an officer dressed in what appears to be a full police uniform minus a few things a citizen would think that that is a police officer if they actually encounter them, so we want to make sure people like this are taken off the streets," Braud said.
Police say Henderson now faces a charge for impersonating a public officer or employee. He has since been released on a $5,600 bond.
Norcross Police encourage anyone who may have questions about whether an officer is legitimate to call police to verify the person's identity.