Officers pose as homeless people to entrap unsuspecting drivers

June 11, 2016
A Regina police officer posing as a panhandler.

A Regina police officer posing as a panhandler.

Regina, Canada police officers have discovered a new way to increase revenue, pose as a homeless person in an attempt to set up kind-hearted individuals willing to help those in need.

Officers, wearing old clothes and holding cardboard signs, stand in busy traffic areas posing as panhandlers. The officers then stand back from the curb.

Some drivers, such as Dane Rusk, reach into their pockets, undo their seat belts and lean over to drop their extra cash on the curb. The homeless imposter than informs a uniformed officer that the driver has unhooked his seat belt. [CTV News]

A few minutes later, the uniformed officer gives the driver a ticket for not having their seat belt on.

“The ticket’s $175 and the three dollars I gave to him – I’m out $178 all because I was trying to help out a homeless guy,” Rusk told CTV News.

Police in Regina, who point out their signs don’t actually ask for cash, claim the project helps keep the public safe.

 


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We have a similar outrageous situation in SLO every fall when school starts: the cops line up by the schools to give tickets to harried parents dropping off their little ones for the first day of school.

Another favorite tactic: hide behind something to catch a lazy driver not stopping completely for a stop sign in a residential neighborhood at 6 PM on a Friday night. Guess there isn’t enough action downtown so to fill their quota they go after residents


Entrapment… This is like a female undercover police officer showing you her ta tas and then arresting you when you give her $20….. (; )


When you think like a socialist, it is easy to come up with ideas the exploit “what is yours is negotiable”.


Why do people give money these scammers. They’re a nuisance on the street corners and the sidewalks. If they need food or help, it’s available. Look at all the welfare cases living in your town. You don’t have to pan handle to survive. I say ‘bravo’ Canadian mounties. The fools deserve a ticket.


The question should be why do these people hang out on the corner asking for money, (instead of getting a job), because people give them money and it is easier than working at ta job. If the people stop giving them money they would go away. Wish they would pass a law making it illegal to give them money, that would also stop it


Ya gotta love those crazy canucks eh! Actually the RCMP can legally disguise themselves in any fashion when conducting hwy checks. They can pose are construction workers, surveyors, and a host of other disguises. Some also drive completely unmarked cars in order to catch the unsuspecting driver…and they are very successful.


Look at our local government officials they dress up as seemingly normal intelligent people and we fall for it.


How is this even constitutional? It definitely is unethical.


It is happening in Canada, across the border from North Dakota, been there years ago!


I got a ticket for talking on my cell phone a couple years ago, except I was nearly the first that had a Bluetooth system in my truck when they passed the law several years ago. I told the cop it was impossible since I have a Bluetooth handsfree system and he said that he had a video of me talking on the phone, and that if I didn’t like it, I could take him to court.


Of course I took him up on the offer, but first asked for all the notes and video he had so I could see what he did have (which I knew wouldn’t be a video of me talking on the phone). Sure enough, no video, and he even didn’t fill out any notes at all. The back of his copy of the ticket was completely blank.


He was a no-show in court.


I called his sergeant and told him that he and other cops need to be a little more careful to be on the side of the law abiding citizens. When the SHTF, they’re going to need our help.


We very rarely see a patrol car in North MB even though we have a big car burglary / meth problem. MBPD is not known for pro – community outreach or building citizen trust.


Hope Morro Bay city manager doesn’t see this, he’s desperate for $$$. Buckingham is spending like a trophy wife & looking at citizens wallets like the next sugar daddy.